Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Nationwide reports house prices fell in September House price growth slowed in most UK regions over the last three months, Nationwide reports. Prices dropped, year-on-year, in four regions – the Outer Metropolitan area outside London, South West England, th
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. Annual house price growth across the UK has halved, according to lender Nationwide this morning, as rising mortgage rates cool the market. Nationwide’s latest gauge of house prices shows that prices fell by 0.2% in September, dragging annual house price growth down to 0.8%, the weakest rate of growth since December 2025. That’s down from 1.6% in August. This is weaker than the City expected: Economists polled by Reuters had forecast prices would be flat on the month and rise by 1.3% year-on-year. The average price of a home across the country slipped to £274,251 last month. Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, attributed the slowdown on recent increases in mortgage rates from lenders: “Market activity and house prices have remained subdued in recent months, in part reflecting the uncertain economic backdrop. Geopolitical tensions remain high, with the conflict in the Mid