Builders in the slow lane

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Housebuilding and civil engineering output shrank in a sluggish month for the sector as jobs growth also stagnated, Cips said. Its activity index, where a score over 50 mean expansion, slowed from 53.2 to 51.4 - signalling the most disappointing growth since last autumn.

The latest survey was something of a curate's egg as it surprisingly showed building firm bosses in their most optimistic mood for eight months. But Cips chief executive David Noble said: "This confidence bodes well for the year ahead, although this visibility over potential new business will need to convert quickly into tangible work if employment levels are to improve."

Construction is lagging behind more buoyant manufacturing growth, but the clearest signs of the UK's economic health will come from its January snapshot of services firms. The sector accounts for three-quarters of the economy and a weak performance here is likely to persuade the Bank of England's rate-setters to launch an even bigger dose of quantitative easing next week.