6 h. ago France and Germany avoid recession as eurozone growth accelerates; Taiwan’s GDP boosted by pre

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, including growth figures from across EuropeUK house prices fall but market ‘likely to pick up’ during summerChina manufacturing activity plummets amid Trump tariff warFrance’s economy is likely to “flirt with stagnation” throughout the year, despite the small rebound in GDP in the last quarter, predicts Dutch bank ING.Charlotte de Montpellier, ING’s senior economist for France and Switzerland, explains:The additional customs duties in the US and their direct and indirect impact will delay the French economy’s rebound. We estimate that the direct effect of a permanent 10% import duty in the US on French GDP (via a reduction in exports) will be around -0.1%.Adding to this are the effects of uncertainty, the global economic slowdown and more restrictive fiscal policy, all of which will weigh on French economic activity throughout the year. The cooling in the labour market is likely to limit the recovery in household consumptio...

Politics

7 h. ago France and Germany avoid recession as economies return to growth; UK house prices drop – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, including growth figures from across EuropeUK house prices fall but market ‘likely to pick up’ during summerChina manufacturing activity plummets amid Trump tariff warFrance’s economy is likely to “flirt with stagnation” throughout the year, despite the small rebound in GDP in the last quarter, predicts Dutch bank ING.Charlotte de Montpellier, ING’s senior economist for France and Switzerland, explains:The additional customs duties in the US and their direct and indirect impact will delay the French economy’s rebound. We estimate that the direct effect of a permanent 10% import duty in the US on French GDP (via a reduction in exports) will be around -0.1%.Adding to this are the effects of uncertainty, the global economic slowdown and more restrictive fiscal policy, all of which will weigh on French economic activity throughout the year. The cooling in the labour market is likely to limit the recovery in household consumptio...

Economics

9 h. ago France avoids recession as economy returns to growth; UK house prices drop – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsChina manufacturing activity plummets amid Trump tariff warAverage UK house prices fell this month, lender Nationwide reports, after the rush to avoid an increase in stamp duty faded.According to Nationwide, house prices fell by 0.6% in April, with the average price dropping to £270,752 from £271,316 in March.Early indications suggest there was a significant jump in transactions in March, with buyers bringing forward their purchases to avoid additional tax obligations.“The market is likely to remain a little soft in the coming months, following the pattern typically observed following the end of stamp duty holidays. Nevertheless, activity is likely to pick up steadily as summer progresses, despite wider economic uncertainties in the global economy, since underlying conditions for potential home buyers in the UK remain supportive. Continue reading...

Economics

28 h. ago House price momentum cooling but sales growth expected across 2025

New figures were released as Rightmove reported that asking rents have reached record highs.

Economics

41 h. ago House price momentum cooling but sales growth expected across 2025 – Zoopla

New figures were released as Rightmove reported that asking rents have reached record highs.

Society

5 d. ago Xi announces plan for Chinese economy to counter impact of US trade war

Beijing will ‘strengthen bottom-line thinking’ as reports say it could drop tariffs on some US products Business live – latest updatesXi Jinping has announced a plan to counter China’s continuing economic problems and the impact of the US trade war, as reports swirl that it could drop tariffs on some US products, including semiconductors.Friday’s meeting of the politburo was convened to discuss China’s economic situation, which since the pandemic has faced difficulties fuelled by a housing sector crisis, youth unemployment, and Donald Trump’s tariffs on all Chinese exports. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago UK house price growth accelerates as buyers ‘rushed’ to beat stamp duty rises

Across the country, house prices were higher in February, compared with a year earlier.

Economics

3 w. ago Where are house prices rising most? This Lancashire borough saw 12% spike in a year

Nine out of the 10 local authorities with the biggest house price growth are in the midlands, north of England or Scotland.

Economics

4 w. ago UK house price growth stalled in March ahead of stamp duty hike

Nationwide Building Society recorded a 0.0 per cent month-on-month average UK house price growth in March, ahead of today’s stamp duty changes

Politics

4 w. ago UK firms braced for Trump's tariffs as house price growth remains stable and food inflation rises again

Watch today’s top business stories in under two minutes.

Economics

4 w. ago House price growth stalled in March ahead of stamp duty hike – index

Nationwide Building Society recorded a 0.0% month-on-month average UK house price growth in March, ahead of stamp duty changes which are now in place.

Politics