UK exports rise just £28m in fourth quarter

The value of British exports rose just £28m year on year, or 0.05 per cent, in the final three months of 2009 despite "the competitiveness of sterling against other major currencies".

The number of UK companies exporting fell by 1,764, or 3.4 per cent, during the same period, according to research carried out by Close Brothers. The research showed the US remains the largest individual recipient of exports from the UK with £9.5bn in the fourth quarter, making up about 15.5 per cent of the total.