U.K house prices grew at a faster pace as expected in January, survey figures from the Nationwide Building Society showed Thursday.
The house price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent month-over-month in January after the 0.2 percent increase in December. This was in line with the consensus estimate and marked the fourth consecutive month of increase.
The annual house price inflation eased to 6.8 percent in January from 7.2 percent in December. This was more than the 6.6 percent climb expected by economists.
Annual house price inflation eased for the fifth straight month.
The average home prices was at GBP 188,446 In January, less than GBP 188,559 in the previous month.
"The further moderation in the pace of price growth is unsurprising, given the slowdown in housing market activity in recent months, " Nationwide Chief Economist Robert Gardner said.
He said that the reason for the slowdown in activity remains unclear.
"If the economic backdrop continues to improve as we and most forecasters expect, activity in the housing market is likely to regain momentum in the months ahead, " Gardner said.
"It is encouraging that the number of new homes built in England was up 8% in the year to Q3 2014. However, this is still 34% below pre-crisis levels and little over half the expected rate of household formation in the years ahead, "
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