New figures show August bounce

New figures have given fresh cause for optimism in the wake of the historic Brexit vote as we head into September.
There was a pick-up in house price growth over August, according to Nationwide. And confidence among UK consumers also improved during the month, another survey has suggested.
The findings follow encouraging economic data, a fall in unemployment, statistics showing gains for manufacturing and the Bank of England’s recent interest rate cut.
A YouGov survey last week showed that consumer confidence recorded its highest monthly bounce in August since February 2013, while official data found retail sales increased by 1.4% in July from the previous month.
According to the Nationwide, property prices rose by 0.6% compared with July, making the average cost of a UK home £206,145.
Prices in August were 5.6% higher than a year earlier, compared with 5.2% in July. You can read more on the BBC website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37228736
Market research firm GfK said its consumer confidence gauge had recovered to -7 in August, up from -12 in July.
GfK’s survey also indicated a sharp drop in people’s propensity to save in August.
According to GfK’s Joe Staton, there had been ‘some recovery’ in consumer confidence in August compared with July.
He added: “We’re reporting some recovery in the index this month as consumers settle into the new wait-and-see reality of a post-Brexit, pre-exit UK.”
You can read more on the BBC website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37221475
There’s also an excellent story on the Daily Telegraph website at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/08/27/uk-economy-stays-resilient-despite-shock-of-eu-exit/
This reflects our own experience in August when we’ve had an extremely busy month with demand continuing to grow.
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