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| UK manufacturing enjoys strong quarter | UK manufacturing enjoys strong quarter |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| UK manufacturing output grew by 1.4% in the first quarter of the year, the strongest quarterly pace since 1999, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show. | UK manufacturing output grew by 1.4% in the first quarter of the year, the strongest quarterly pace since 1999, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show. |
| Separate figures showed that construction output grew 5.4% in the quarter. | Separate figures showed that construction output grew 5.4% in the quarter. |
| The ONS also said that the UK trade deficit fell to £1.3bn in March. | The ONS also said that the UK trade deficit fell to £1.3bn in March. |
| Separately, research organisation NIESR upgraded its growth forecast for the UK economy to 2.9% in 2014. | Separately, research organisation NIESR upgraded its growth forecast for the UK economy to 2.9% in 2014. |
| This was up from its previous estimate of 2.4%. | This was up from its previous estimate of 2.4%. |
| 'Encouraging' signs | |
| The quarterly rise in manufacturing output growth, which was ahead of forecasts. was mainly driven by rubber and plastics, which grew by 7.3%. | |
| Food, beverages and tobacco, and machinery and equipment also drove growth. | |
| The largest downward pressure on growth came from pharmaceuticals, which fell by 5.8%. | |
| The wider measure of industrial production output increased by 0.7% in the quarter. | |
| In March, manufacturing output increased by 0.5%, which was seen as "encouraging" by Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight. |