UK House Prices Stagnate in November,Retail Sales Weaken: Business Live
London,UK – December 5,2025 – Good morning,and welcome to our live coverage of the financial markets and the world economy. as the first week of December unfolds,new data indicates an economic cooling in the lead-up to last month’s budget.
UK House Prices Stagnate
UK house prices remained largely unchanged in November, according to lender Halifax, with the average property price holding steady at £299,892. This follows a 0.5% rise in October,making housing slightly more affordable for new buyers. On an annual basis, prices were up 0.7%, a decrease from the 1.9% inflation seen in October.
Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, noted that this stability reflects a “stable year for the housing market over the last decade.” She added that while slower growth may disappoint existing homeowners, its welcome news for first-time buyers. Affordability is at its strongest as late 2015, and mortgage costs as a share of income are at their lowest in about three years.
Retail Spending Slows
Shoppers also curbed their spending in November.Business advisory service BDO reported that in-store sales grew by a mere 1.3%,despite the potential boost from Black Friday. This is significantly below the rate of inflation, indicating a considerable drop in sales volumes.
The Agenda
Key events to watch today:
* 7 AM GMT: Halifax house price index for November
* 7 AM GMT: German factory orders data for October
* 8:30 AM GMT: UN food commodities price index
* 3 PM GMT: US PCE data (Fed’s preferred inflation measure)
* 3 PM GMT: University of Michigan consumer confidence report
ocado Shares Surge
Shares in Ocado have jumped by over 10% after agreeing a compensation deal with US grocer kroger. Ocado will receive a one-off $350 million cash payment from kroger, which decided to close three robotic warehouses.
Key Quotes
* Amanda Bryden, halifax: anticipates property prices will continue to grow gradually into 2026.
* Tim Steiner, CEO of Ocado Group: “We continue to invest significant resources to support our partners at Kroger, and to help them build on our longstanding partnership.”
Stay tuned for more updates throughout the day as we continue to bring you the latest developments in the markets.
