Nowadays, there are hazards to looking for signs of hope in the British economy. As the latest OECD forecast for 2018 and beyond shows, a cloud of gloom has descended on the United Kingdom.

The primary source of pessimism is, of course, Brexit, and the fear that withdrawing from the European Union will hurt British consumers through higher import prices and weak business investment. And, making matters worse, the British government’s independent Office of Budget Responsibility has now lowered its expectations for economic growth, owing to persistently weak productivity performance in the UK.