WILL THE BOE ADOPT A RESTRICTIVE MONETARY POLICY AS EARLY AS JUNE? 1/3

Official figures indicate that the UK economy started 2026 with an unexpectedly robust real GDP expansion of +0.6%, driven by consumer spending and services. However, these surprisingly strong results have been met with deep skepticism from private forecasters and Bank of England monetary policymakers. Experts suggest the statistical agency failed to properly account for shifting seasonal variations, significantly overestimating underlying economic momentum. Data discrepancies leave underlying strength unconfirmed.