UK Production And GDP Estimate, US NFIB

 | Jul 09, 2013 07:53AM ET

The outlook for the UK’s economic rebound will receive a fresh round of analysis with today’s scheduled updates on industrial production and a GDP estimate from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. Meanwhile in the US, the National Federation of Independent Business today publishes its estimate of small business confidence for June.

UK Industrial Production (08:30 GMT): Business confidence in June climbed to its highest point in more than a year in Britain, according to yesterday’s monthly update of the BDO Optimism Index. That’s a clue for thinking that industrial production will post another gain in today’s news on output in Britain for May.

One consensus forecast sees a slightly stronger rate of growth for the monthly comparison: an advance of 0.2 percent in May versus a 0.1 advance earlier. We already know that the mood is brightening in this corner of the British economy. The UK CIPS/PMI Manufacturing Index climbed to a 25-month high in last week’s June report. A similarly buoyant trend is unfolding in the services sector, or so the latest PMI number shows. The question is whether there’s convincing support for the improving outlook in the hard data. The news is still mixed on this question, albeit with some positive signs.

The Economist warns that Britain’s rebound of late is unbalanced and so growth is “unsustainable.” Corporate investment in particular remains sluggish, largely because lending to firms is still low after tumbling in the wake of the last financial crisis. But is this a reason to stay pessimistic on the prospects for the macro outlook generally? Today’s industrial production news will provide fresh guidance on the answer.