The Office for National Statistics revealed that gross domestic product (GDP) for the UK expanded 0.2% in July, following a sharp fall of 0.6% in June. Any growth in July was driven by the information and communications sector and consumer-facing services, which grew 0.6%. Industrial production and construction shrunk 0.3% and 0.8% respectively, reflecting a second consecutive fall for both sectors. The consensus was for UK growth to reach 0.3% but was curtailed by the additional day off for the Queen's jubilee. To exacerbate matters further, the Queen's recent and unfortunate passing along with the additional holiday for her funeral in September may be enough to tip the economy into recession. With that the outlook for the UK certainly appears bleaker, driven by a continued squeeze on household income and key purchasing-management data showing private-sector activity contracting in August.