House prices slow

House prices slow

House prices hit another record high in August, but the pace is starting to slow according to mortgage lender Halifax. August prices were 0.7% higher than July - a smaller jump than in previous months. It means average prices are now up 7.1% compared to this time last year. London continues to trail the rest of the country, with an annual increase of just 1.3%.

“Sausage wars” on ice

The UK has postponed indefinitely its plans for post-Brexit checks on goods entering Northern Ireland, after negotiations with the EU reached a stalemate. This is the second extension of the grace period as part of an ongoing row over border checks dubbed “the sausage wars”. And now, there’s no deadline set for the completion of talks.

Fewer job cuts

The number of planned job cuts is at its lowest for 7 years, despite the end of the furlough scheme looming at the end of the month. Employers planned 12,687 job cuts in August, a fall of 11% since July, according to the Insolvency Service. The data suggests the predicted surge in unemployment this autumn might not be as bad as expected.