Recession ending

LONDON, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- British officials said the economy saw stronger-than-announced growth in the last quarter of 2009, solidifying views the United Kingdom is out of the recession.

Revised data suggest the British gross domestic product increased by 0.3 percent, a small figure but better than the 0.1 percent released last month. While that short-term news was good, the longer term looked worse in retrospect as the overall recession, which began in late 2007, caused the U.K. economy to contract 6.25 percent, more than the 6 percent fall previously stated.

Still the trend is up and the growth in October-December 2009 marked the first GDP increase in six quarters.

There are still fears, however, of a slide back and officials said initial indications are that January's reports could deliver bleak news.

Figures from the United States were also revised upward. Officials had said the U.S. economy grew at a 5.7 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter but Friday said that figure was in fact 5.9 percent.

That was a strong end for bad year. Overall in 2009, the U.S. economy contracted 2.4 percent -- the largest full-year contraction since 1946.