Investing.com - U.K. service sector activity expanded at the fastest rate in eight months in April, fuelling optimism over the health of the economy, industry data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, market research group Markit said the seasonally adjusted Markit/CIPS Services Purchasing Managers Index rose to 59.5 last month from a reading of 58.9 in March. Analysts had expected the index to fall to 58.5 in April.
On the index, a level above 50.0 indicates expansion in the industry, below 50.0 indicates contraction.
GBP/USD was trading at 1.5189 from around 1.5171 ahead of the release of the data, while EUR/GBP was at 0.7403 from 0.7409 earlier.
Meanwhile, European stock markets remained higher. London’s FTSE 100 rose 0.45%, the EURO STOXX 50 tacked on 0.7%, France's CAC 40 advanced 0.4%, while Germany's DAX inched up 0.7%.