Investing.com - The U.K. economy grew more than initially expected in the three months to September, fuelling optimism over the health of the economy, official data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product expanded at a seasonally adjusted rate of 0.9% during the second quarter, above expectations for a 0.8% reading and up from a previous estimate of 0.7%.
Annualized GDP grew at a rate of 3.2% in the second quarter, in line with expectations and unchanged from a previous forecast.
Total business investment rose by a seasonally adjusted 3.3% in the second quarter, compared to a previous forecast for a 0.9% gain.
GBP/USD was trading at 1.6244 from around 1.6266 ahead of the release of the data, while EUR/GBP was at 0.7800 from 0.7791 earlier.
Meanwhile, European stock markets remained mixed. London’s FTSE 100 shed 0.1%, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 tacked on 0.25%, France's CAC 40 added 0.4%, while Germany's DAX inched up 0.1%.