In our first round-up of the year, January manufacturing PMI signalled a third consecutive month of contraction in the sector, reflecting ongoing uncertainty felt by manufacturers following the UK budget, albeit with the index improving slightly since December’s reading. UK inflation increased in January, with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rising to 3.0%, up from 2.5% in December 2024, largely driven by services and food prices, as the market looks ahead to the next likely rate cut in May’s MP ....
