Britain May Avoid a Recession for Now as Consumers Spend

  • Tax break and World Cup football helped prop up spending
  • Figures may strengthen case for sharp interest rate increases

Shoppers on Oxford Street in London, UK.

Photographer: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images

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The UK economy may avoid tumbling into recession until later this year as consumers kept spending through the worst cost-of-living squeeze in memory.

Gross domestic product unexpectedly rose 0.1% in November, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. Economists had expected a small decline after growth in October.