UK services industry sees modest growth in first quarter
The UK services industry has seen a modest growth in the first quarter of the year, with output increasing by 1.2 per cent from the same period last year.
According to the Office for National Statistics, services output also increased by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, compared with the fourth quarter of 2017.
This follows growth of 0.4 per cent between the third and fourth quarters of last year, according to the research.
Read more: UK services industry sees modest rebound in April
The services growth in the first quarter was equal to the average quarterly growth in 2017, suggesting that the impact of poor weather in March was limited.
Business services and finance made the largest contribution to the quarterly growth, the ONS said, contributing 0.18 percentage points.
Distribution, hotels and restaurants contributed were the worst performers, stripping 0.16 percentage points from monthly movement and partially offsetting positive contributions from the other three main components.
Read more: Trade minister: Brexit offers chance to liberalise global trade in services
Other industries which contributed to overall services growth were legal activities, which increased by 3.6 per cent, cinema and film which increased by 5.1 per cent, and computer programming, which increased by 1.1 per cent.
The latest ONS figures come as last months the Markit purchasing managers' index showed the UK service sector rebounded in April, following a disappointing performance during an unseasonably cold March.
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