• Prior 50.5
• Manufacturing PMI 53.6 vs 50.3 expected
• Prior 51.0
• Composite PMI 52.0 vs 49.9 expected
• Prior 50.3

S&P Global notes that its gauge of input prices in this month showed the biggest monthly increase since records began 28 years ago. This will certainly keep the BoE in a neutral to hawkish stance as cutting rates now would erase all the inflation progress since 2022.

The agency also notes “prices are rising not just because of surging energy costs, but also due to increases in charges levied for a wide variety of goods and services, with price hikes often stoked by supply concerns”.

While there’s a welcome resilience in economic activity, analysts note that the details of the survey suggest this could not be sustained without a resolution of the crisis in the Middle East.