The riots that swept British towns in the second week of August probably did less harm to the economy than the Windsor-Middleton wedding spectacle earlier in the year according to the Financial Times. This was despite 10% of shops, restaurants, clubs and pubs being affected.
The national shut-down for the feudal wedding closed many more businesses and therefore hit harder. The Office of National Statistics has estimated that it and the Japanese tsunami together knocked 0.5% off growth in gross national product between April and June. However, the FT reported that economists believe the looting and arson might cause longer lasting harm than the wedding in those poor neighbourhoods attacked by rioters.