Consultation on release times for market sensitive economic statistics

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is reviewing the release times for its market sensitive economic statistics. The review will consider whether the current arrangements continue to best serve the public good, support user needs and align with the principles of trustworthiness, quality and value set out in the  Code of Practice for Statistics.  

Most official statistics are released at 0930 in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. Since March 2020, ONS market sensitive economic statistics have been released at an alternative release time of 0700, as requested under the Code of Practice for Statistics and agreed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). 

This alternative time was originally a response to the practical restrictions and increased risk brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including the need to suspend secure ‘lock-in’ briefings for accredited newswires. It also reflected operational constraints on the ONS website at the time, the impact of which were reduced if the ONS published market sensitive statistics outside of trading hours. There has subsequently been a programme of work to improve the operational performance of the ONS website and ensure reliable access at the point of release. 

In July 2026, the trading hours for Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) futures and long gilt futures traded on ICE Futures Europe were extended to open at 0100 and close at 2100. As a result, market sensitive ONS statistics are now released while the relevant futures contracts are trading. Other major UK financial markets, including the London Stock Exchange and the gilt market, open after the 0700 release time.