British Manufacturing Output Rebounds in May

Manufacturing output in recession-hit Britain rose unexpectedly strongly by 1.2% in May from the April level, official data showed on Tuesday.

That was the biggest monthly gain since May 2011 and confounded market expectations for a drop of 0.2%, according to analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

However, manufacturing output, which excludes mining and quarrying, as well as the electricity, gas and water supply sectors, sank 1.7% in May compared with a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) added.

The wider measure of industrial output increased 1% in May from April, which was the biggest increase since March 2010. But industrial output was down 1.6% year-on-year, the ONS said in a statement.