Office for National Statistics

The Bank of England has again moved to temper expectations of an early rate rise, despite the UK unemployment rate dropping to close to the crucial 7% mark this morning.

Sterling rose against the US dollar in morning trading after the second reading of the UK's economic growth rate confirmed an increase of 0.8% in the third quarter, in line with analysts' expectations.

The UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) has criticised the methods used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) when it releases sensitive economic data.

An increasing number of older people are starting to down-size their homes.

The Chancellor is on a collision course with bond markets over plans to change how inflation is calculated.

The surprise 1% rise in UK GDP in Q3 points to only a slight improvement in the economy's growth outlook, according to forecasters.

The UK Statistics Authority has called for a review into the early release of sensitive economic data after Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to let slip details of Q3 GDP ahead of time.

UK retail sales have posted a surprise rise in July, up 0.3% from June, beating analysts' expectations of a more modest 0.1% increase.

Capital Economics expects the Bank of England to cut the UK's base rate from 0.5% in an effort to stimulate growth, after last week's GDP figure showed the economy is shrinking faster than feared.

The UK narrowly escaped a double-dip recession by posting slight growth in the second quarter of the year, according to the latest monthly GDP estimate from NIESR.