The government's figures on economic growth have been revised up, showing that the UK economy was stronger towards the end of 2009 than previously thought.
The original figures published by the Office for National Statistics suggested that the economy had grown by just 0.1 per cent in the final quarter of 2009. Today's revision has pushed this figure up to 0.3 per cent.
While this is clearly more positive, it still represents an anaemic rate of growth. There is concern that the putative recovery could be thrown off the rails by the smallest of dents of manufacturing or services, such is the fragility of the growth rate.
But the service sector has been performing relatively well, recording growth of 0.5 per cent in the final quarter - up from 0.3 per cent during the previous three months. Production industries saw an even larger jump - recording 0.4 per cent growth compared with a huge 1 per cent drop during the third quarter.
Some analysts now predict that the economy may actually have shrunk again during the first quarter of 2010. Poor retail figures, partly attributable to bad weather, have caused concern amongst market watchers.
