The manufacturing sector is growing at the fastest rate in more than 15 years, boosted by an unprecedented leap in exports of finished goods, according to a closely-watched survey.

Weak pound boosts exports and foreign investment
Sterling has handed Britain a double economic windfall, economists declared on Tuesday as statistics showed that the weak pound has boosted exports and drawn in foreign investment.
Meanwhile, foreign investors are pouring cash into the government bond market at such a rate that in two months alone they have bought more gilts than in all of 2009, according to figures from the Bank of England.
The two pieces of news are both directly linked to the pound, both by dint of its depreciation over the past three years, and Britain's retention of its currency independence rather than joining the euro, which has boosted safe haven buying by investors amid the Greek fiscal crisis.

The gap in the UK's balance of trade widened unexpectedly in May.

The overall deficit for the month was £4.1bn, according to the Office for National Statistics, up from £3.1bn the month before.

The widening deficit was driven by a 13% surge in imports of semi-manufactured goods, notably chemical products, which rose 20%.

The overall goods deficit, excluding services, rose to £8.5bn - well above the £7.4bn expected by analysts.