UK business activity suffers steep slump in January amid fresh lockdown

LONDON, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- British business activity in January registered an eight-month low as the country introduced a new round of lockdown restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released Friday.

British Composite Output Index stood at 40.6 in January, down sharply from 50.4 in December 2020, far below the neutral 50.0 threshold, said the report published by IHS MARKIT/CIPS.