Business investment in the UK increased 1.7% in the second quarter, following a 0.9% gain in the prior three-month period, according to provisional data from the Office for National Statistics published Thursday.
Analysts expected a 0.3% decline for the quarter.
On a yearly basis, business investment rose 0.8%, compared with the 1.3% fall previously.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) said the respondents for its September quarter survey of expectations expect the country's annual consumer price index (CPI) growth to be 2.6% one-year-out and 2.34% two-years-out, data showed Thursday.The survey measures the expectations of forecasters, economists, and business leaders about the future of the New Zealand economy.The respondents had expected one-year-out CPI growth to be 3.41% and two-years-out growth to be 2.53% in the June quarter.The perception of monetary conditions was negative 63.16% at the end of the September quarter and flat in the December quarter. The measure was up nearly 16% one year out.
The UK Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors house price balance stood at -30% in July, up from the revised -32% in the previous month, according to residential market survey data released Thursday.The reading signaled more price declines than increases in the housing sector.House price expectations for the next three months stayed weak, with the balance at -31%, while the 12-month outlook was optimistic at 4%.
New Zealand housing market prices remained steady in July, but the pace of activity has slowed due to cautious buyers, according to a report from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) released on Thursday.The national median sale price of NZ$760,000 recorded a 0.7% year-on-year decline, while sales saw a 10% decrease compared with July 2025.Properties took longer to sell, with the national median Days to Sell at 50 days, an increase of two days year-on-year and the fifth-slowest July on record since REINZ records started in 1992.People are purchasing and selling property daily, but buyers are taking time considering their options, and sellers are sometimes allowing more time for the right buyer to come along, REINZ Chief Executive Lizzy Ryley said.Inventory increased, primarily due to properties taking longer to sell rather than an influx of new listings.