Briefing
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- Slight economic growth – Economy rose by 0.5% three months after Brexit vote, driven by services sector, slower than 0.7% in previous quarter but stronger than analyst estimates of 0.3%
- Shopper confidence – Returned to pre-Brexit levels in September, with shoppers continuing to spend, benefiting from higher wages, low inflation and record low interest rates
- Rising housing demand – Rose slightly with 109,630 properties bought in August and annual house price inflation down to 5.3% in September from previous month's 5.6%
- Decreased unemployment rate – Declined to 4.8% in July to September from 5.3% last year, with number of unemployed at 11-year low of 1.6 million
- 2016-17 growth forecast – Upgraded economic growth forecast this year to 2.1% from 2.0% with economic growth in 2017 predicted at 1.4%
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