December data indicated that business activity growth picked up across the UK service sector, but the latest survey also found softer rises in new work and employment numbers at the end of 2017. At the same time, service providers indicated another marked increase in their average prices charged, which was overwhelmingly linked to strong cost pressures. Survey respondents signalled the fastest rise in operating expenses for three months, reflecting higher transportation costs, staff salaries and utility bills in December. The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS UK Services PMI® Business Activity Index registered 54.2 in December, up from 53.8 in the previous month, to signal the second-fastest upturn in service sector output since April 2017.