Investing.com - Manufacturing production in the U.K. rose more than expected in September, while industrial output also topped forecasts, official data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the U.K. Office for National Statistics said that manufacturing production increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in September, above expectations for a gain of 0.3%.
Manufacturing production in August rose by 0.2%, whore figure was upwardly revised from previously reported rise of 0.1%.
On an annualized basis, manufacturing production rose at rate of 2.9% in September, beating expectations for a gain of 2.8%, after rising at a rate of 4.0% in the preceding month.
The report also showed that industrial production rose by a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in September, compared to expectations for a 0.4% gain, after falling 0.1% in August.
GBP/USD was trading at 1.5980 from around 1.5978 ahead of the announcement, while EUR/GBP was at 0.7827 from 0.7830 earlier.
Meanwhile, European stock markets remained lower. London’s FTSE 100 shed 0.3%, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 dipped 0.45%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.4%, while Germany's DAX slumped 0.3%.