Housebuilding slump drags down UK construction activity, PMI shows

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Britain's construction ‌sector shrank ​last ​month at its fastest pace since June as housebuilding suffered its worst month of the year, ‌a survey showed on Thursday.

The S&P Global UK Construction ⁠PMI fell to 43.6 from 46.1 in September, below every forecast ‌in a Reuters poll of ‌economists, whose median estimate had pointed to no change.

Readings below 50 denote contraction, which has been the case for ​the construction PMI for nearly two years.

• Civil engineering and commercial activity contracted, but the downturn was especially ⁠severe for the housing sector, which saw the biggest drop in activity since ​December 2025

• Only the COVID-19 pandemic and the global financial crisis saw greater drops in housebuilding ​activity than last month and December ‌2025

• "Construction companies commented on severe headwinds in the housebuilding sector from rising borrowing costs, weak ⁠consumer confidence and elevated economic uncertainty," said Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence

• "However, there were reports of strong demand ⁠for data centre projects, alongside rising workloads in the energy and utilities ​sectors," he added

• The survey's index of input costs rose to its highest level since June after jumping more than 10 points ‌on the month, with respondents citing fuel surcharges and energy costs

• Business optimism waned to ‌its lowest level since May

• The all-sector PMI — a combination ⁠of the construction, manufacturing and ‌services surveys — rose ​to 52.1 in October from 51.5, the strongest reading since February

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Editing by Joe ‌Bavier)

---

Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

---

You May Also Be Interested In

• Investors eye risk of debt-ceiling standoff after Democratic sweep
• Latin America's Catholic missionaries take to TikTok to reach younger generation
• Bomb alerts force flights to land in France, Bulgaria, Belgium