Manufacturing production in the UK edged up by 0.1% month-on-month in January 2026, rebounding from a 0.5% fall in the previous month but falling short of market forecasts of a 0.2% gain. The recovery was largely driven by increases in five of the thirteen manufacturing subsectors, with the largest positive contributions coming from the manufacture of transport equipment (4.0% vs -1.1%), other manufacturing and repair (4.5% vs -2%), and food products, beverages and tobacco (2.2% vs -1.4%). Additionally, output rebounded for chemicals and chemical products (1.5% vs -5%) and basic metals and metal products (0.5% vs -0.8%). On the other hand, the largest negative contributions came from machinery and equipment (-7.7% vs 2.6%), electrical equipment (9.0% vs 4.9%) and computer, electronic and optical products (-2.8% vs 5.6%). On a yearly basis, manufacturing activity rose by 1.3% in January, accelerating from a 0.5% gain in the preceding period but below market estimates of a 1.5% advance.