Thanks for joining us. Earlier this week we had figures showing that asking prices for homes rose for the first time in six months – a sign of confidence returning to the property market.
Rightmove said the average price of a property listed on its website rose 0.1 per cent compared to the same month last year, the first annual rise since July.
5 things to start your day
1) Currys is attracting takeover interest from the Chinese giant | The prospect of a bidding war looms as JD.com enters talks with an electronics retailer
2) Apple faces an EU fine of £430 million in its long-running dispute with Spotify | iPhone maker accused of using its App Store to drive up prices and block competition
3) The World Bank warns that the damage from the lockdown could last for generations | Children of those who missed school will be affected by “pandemic scars.”
4) John Lewis in the dispute over new apartments due to smoke vents in rental properties | Fire officials warn plans for the Bromley project could hamper potential rescue efforts
5) The economic cost of our failing mental health has finally become clear | As the country plunges into recession, the UK's long-term disease crisis requires serious action
What happened overnight?
In Asia, stocks rose mainly after Chinese markets reopened on Monday following a long Lunar New Year holiday.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.9 percentage points to 16,192.24 on strong selling in technology and real estate stocks, despite Chinese state banks announcing numerous plans to lend billions of dollars for real estate projects.
Major developer Country Garden lost 5.6 percent and Sino-Ocean Group Holding plunged 6.5 percent. China Vanke lost 4.6 percent.
The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.8 percent to 2,889.32.
Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index closed flat as Nintendo shares slumped after reports the release of its next console would be delayed.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 16.86 points to close at 38,470.38, while the broader Topix index rose 0.57 percent, or 14.96 points, to 2,639.69.
Nintendo shares fell 5.1 percent after unconfirmed reports that the Switch console's successor would not ship this year.
Goldman Sachs said it expects the U.S. stock market rally to continue. In a note to clients, analysts forecast that the S&P 500 will reach 5,200 by the end of 2024.
That would mark a 3.9 percent gain from Friday's closing price, after falling 0.5 percent following a new record high on Thursday.
A rise in the U.S. producer price index on Friday triggered a slight rise in Treasury yields, which climbed seven basis points to 4.65 percent.
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