British business investment rose 0.7 per cent in the fourth quarter compared with the prior quarter, the Office for National Statistics said today.
This brought the annual rate of growth to 4.9 per cent. Fourth-quarter investment rose to £29.68 billion sterling, from £29.49 billion in the third.
Business investment by the private and public manufacturing sector fell by 0.1 per cent on the quarter but was up 3.6 per cent on the year.
Within the private sector, services investment grew 1.3 per cent on the quarter while construction and other production also rose by 1.3 per cent.