🔗House prices fall at fastest rate since lockdown

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2nd December 2022

Bite-sized business news from the UK and beyond

Good morning There will be strikes affecting the UK everyday in the run up to Christmas, here’s a guide to keep up to date with all the disruptions.

Today's stories

House prices fall at fastest rate since lockdown
Next swoops in to save Joules retail chain

ECONOMY
House prices fall at fastest rate since lockdown

What happened?
Yesterday Nationwide Building Society revealed that house prices in the UK fell last month by 1.4% to an average of £263,788. It's the second monthly drop in a row and the biggest since the first lockdown in June 2020.

How did we get here?
The bigger than forecast slowdown in November house prices came in the aftermath of September’s mini-budget, which spooked financial markets and increased mortgage rates. At the start of the year the average two-year fixed loan was under 2% and now it’s over 5%.

That has caused the cost of mortgage payments for a new home purchase to rocket to a similar level to 2008, pricing many buyers out of the market.

Leaving out the period of 2020 when the housing market was basically shut down, November’s drop was the largest monthly fall seen since February 2009 during the height of the global financial crisis.

With inflation at 11.1% - a 40-year high – the Bank of England will continue to raise interest rates to tame prices rises which could weigh on the housing market in the coming months. So if people want to sell, prices could still have to come down further.

Zooming out: There remains a lot of uncertainty over how far house prices could drop, it depends on high the Bank of England raises rates and how much unemployment rises during the incoming recession. However economists think that the excess savings that many households built up during the pandemic could help to soften the blow of higher mortgage rates over the coming months.

Other stories to keep you in the loop

Pound reaches another high not seen since early August
JP Morgan in talks over potential London fintech takeover
Hotel Chocolat to axe discounts for Christmas as profits melt away
HSBC to cut senior jobs worldwide

RETAIL
Next swoops in to save Joules retail chain

What happened?
High-street giant Next has bought clothing retailer Joules out of bankruptcy for £34m.

How did we get here?
Founded in 1989 at a country show in Leicestershire selling clothes, Joules has become known for its upmarket outdoor wear and grown to 124 stores employing more than 1,000 people.

The company has had a difficult year repeatedly slashing sales and profit targets. It’s battled with rising costs and a slowdown in consumer confidence in recent months as the UK high street struggles with 40-year high inflation. It said consumers feeling the squeeze amid a rising cost of living had become more cautious on making high end purchases putting pressure on its profits.

Last month the company went into administration after it failed to secure emergency funding.

What followed was a bidding war for the failed retailer between several high street brands including Marks & Spencer and Sports Direct owner Frasers Group.

Next won out with a last minute bid and says it plans to keep open 100 Joules stores and along with most jobs but 24 stores will close with 130 redundancies.

Next has track record of buying into smaller retailers
In recent years the retailer has taken advantage of the string of high street collapses to add to its stable of brands. Next has taken stakes in fashion retailer Reiss, lingerie brand Victoria's Secret and maternity retailer JoJo Maman Bebe.

Stat of the day

Brexit added £210 to the average household food bill in the two years to the end of 2021 according to new research

Interesting links from around the web

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4 ways to become a more confident leader

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