Manufacturing output unexpectedly fell on the month in April, suggesting Britain's frail economic recovery may be struggling to gain traction, official data showed last Friday.

The Bank of England kept interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percent yesterday, as widely expected, ahead of the new government's June 22 budget, which will detail the extent of fiscal tightening Britain faces

Retail sales rebounded in May, lifted by warmer weather at the end of the month and the upcoming football but consumers are still reluctant to make major purchases

House prices fell for a second consecutive month in May, mortgage lender Halifax reported last Friday, in a further sign the recent property market recovery is losing steam

British mortgage approvals rose slightly more than expected in April but net mortgage lending growth lagged, according to Bank of England data yesterday, suggesting a durable housing market recovery is still some way off

Consumer confidence fell for the third month in a row in May as people grew more fearful about the economic outlook and health of their own finances, a survey showed last Friday.

The economy grew slightly faster than initially estimated in the first three months of this year after a strong rebound in industrial production and business services

Lending to firms contracted in March due to weak corporate demand, and major banks approved fewer mortgages in April.

Minutes of the central bank's May 7-10 meeting showed there was "a range of views" among MPC members regarding the amount of spare capacity in the economy and how much it could reduce inflation.

Asking prices for residential properties rose more slowly in May than they did in April