UK Preliminary GDP expands 0.6% QoQ in Q1 vs. 0.4% expected
The UK economy expanded 0.6% QoQ in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 from a 0.3% contraction in the previous reading, the preliminary estimate released by National Statistics (ONS) showed Friday. The market consensus was for an expansion of 0.4% in the reported period.
The UK GDP grew at an annual pace of 0.2% YoY in Q1 of 2024 versus -0.2% in Q4 of 2023. The figure beat the market’s expectations for a 0% growth.
Market reaction to the UK GDP data
The Pound Sterling attracts some buyers following the stronger UK GDP reports. At the press time, GBP/USD is trading 0.11% higher on the day at 1.2537.
GDP FAQs
A country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the rate of growth of its economy over a given period of time, usually a quarter. The most reliable figures are those that compare GDP to the previous quarter e.g Q2 of 2023 vs Q1 of 2023, or to the same period in the previous year, e.g Q2 of 2023 vs Q2 of 2022. Annualized quarterly GDP figures extrapolate the growth rate of the quarter as if it were constant for the rest of the year. These can be misleading, however, if temporary shocks impact growth in one quarter but are unlikely to last all year – such as happened in the first quarter of 2020 at the outbreak of the covid pandemic, when growth plummeted.
A higher GDP result is generally positive for a nation’s currency as it reflects a growing economy, which is more likely to produce goods and services that can be exported, as well as attracting higher foreign investment. By the same token, when GDP falls it is usually negative for the currency. When an economy grows people tend to spend more, which leads to inflation. The country’s central bank then has to put up interest rates to combat the inflation with the side effect of attracting more capital inflows from global investors, thus helping the local currency appreciate.
When an economy grows and GDP is rising, people tend to spend more which leads to inflation. The country’s central bank then has to put up interest rates to combat the inflation. Higher interest rates are negative for Gold because they increase the opportunity-cost of holding Gold versus placing the money in a cash deposit account. Therefore, a higher GDP growth rate is usually a bearish factor for Gold price.
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