LONDON (Reuters) - Optimism among British households about financial prospects in the year ahead was second-highest since records began in 2009, helped by low inflation and growing job security, a survey showed on Wednesday.
The monthly Markit household finance survey's measure of financial well-being for the next 12 months slipped only slightly in February from an all-time high in January.
"The strain on UK household finances remained historically weak in February, amid muted inflation perceptions," said Philip Leake, an economist at survey compiler Markit.
"Labour market improvements and a slower decline in cash available to spend also contributed to another encouraging month for household finances," he said.
Britain's most widely used inflation gauge, the consumer price index, slumped to 0.3 percent in January, its lowest level since records began in 1989.
The Markit survey was due to be published at the same time as official data which economists said would show earnings again rose more sharply than inflation in December.