Published by Zeb BhamThe Office for National Statistics (ONS) was too severe in its provisional gross domestic product (GDP) report for the third quarter, analysts have claimed.In a median poll conducted by Bloomberg ahead of the publication of the revised GDP figures later this morning (November 25th), 28 leading economists predicted that the economy actually shrank 0.3 per cent, against the ONS' provisional estimate of 0.4 per cent.Alan Clarke, an economist at BNP Paribas SA in London, commented: "The shrinkage looks a bit overdone. Other surveys are showing output isn't nearly as downbeat. I wouldn't be surprised to see it eventually put close to zero."Such an announcement could offer support for the pound, easing import costs and overseas services burdens for companies making high volumes of international payments.Other key data for sterling due out this week includes the CBI quarterly distributive trades report, which will be published at 11:00 GMT tomorrow.For more information on foreign exchange treasury services and risk management, visit our Corporate FX site