First published: InFacts, 20/01/2017
The buoyant state of the UK economy has gotten a lot of tongues wagging recently, including those whose predictions of a Leave vote aftermath have fallen on stony ground. Remainers got their short-term economic forecasts wrong, and have had to learn humility. Soon it will be the turn of Leavers.
So what went wrong with the darker forecasts and how robust is the economy?
The economy expanded by 2.4% at an annualised rate in the quarter both before and after the referendum. Judged by manufacturing and services survey data, housebuilding and car registrations at the end of 2016, it looks as though GDP in the final quarter was running at about 2%. The first estimate will be published on January 26….Read more: