Britain edged ever closer to a recession on Tuesday and the IMF's top economist warned of a second Great Depression, as stock markets awaited fresh US growth data in the hope of some Christmas cheer.
Britain's economy shrank by 0.6 percent in the three months to September compared with the previous quarter, against a previous estimate of 0.5-percent contraction given last month, the Office for National Statistics said.
Britain will officially be in recession if the economy contracts again in the fourth quarter after already screeching to a halt in the second quarter during which this key European Union economy recorded zero growth.
News of weakening growth sent the British pound sliding under 1.06 euros, nearing a record low of 1.0463 reached last week, as dealers bet on more interest rate cuts from the Bank of England and forecast parity with the euro.
The dollar also dipped against the euro and the yen in morning trading.