UK July services PMI (final) rose to 52.1 from June's 48.8, above the
preliminary 51.8, marking the first expansion since April; the composite PMI,
which includes smaller manufacturing, climbed to 52.2 from 49.3 and moved back
above the 50 growth threshold. S&P Global said the services new orders index
jumped to 50.8 from 47.6, the strongest since February and ending a four‑month
decline; new export orders fell for a fifth month but by the smallest margin in
that period. Firms' one‑year activity expectations rose to their highest level
since before the Iran war erupted in February. Tim Moore, chief economist at S&P
Global Market Intelligence, said stronger growth expectations partly reflect
hopes of easing Middle East tensions and recent signs of easing inf pressure.
