The latest report from the British Office for National Statistics showed its economic trajectory in the past quarter.
For the quarter ended in September, the economy grew by 15.5%, marking a rebound from the sharp downturn. Despite the significant increase, the figures came below the 15.8% consensus. However, it comes after Q2's plunge of 19.8%, the lockdown's effects being felt by the economy. Compared to Q3 2019, the GDP contracted by 9.6%.
The GDP's rebound is the sharpest one yet since records began in 1955. Still, the GDP is 9.7% below the numbers reported at the end of 2019.
Now, analysts expect the GDP to grow at a slower pace, given that the UK is in a month-long partial lockdown until at least the beginning of December. The new restriction was imposed after a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.
"Today's figures show that our economy was recovering over the summer but started to slow going into autumn. The steps we've had to take since to halt the spread of the virus mean growth has likely slowed further since then," read the chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak's statement. Earlier this month, he announced that the country's furlough scheme would be extended until March 2021, while the Bank of England expanded the stock of asset purchases to $1.2 trillion.
Despite the promising figures, the country's benchmark UK100 is trading 0.90% lower. GBP/USD is currently at 1.3140.
Sources: forexfactory.com, cnbc.com, theguardian.com