UK house prices fall for first time this year as Middle East crisis hits confidence – business live

Economy The Guardian By Graeme Wearden 01 Jun 2026 07:26 1 min read

British house prices fell 0.6% in May, leaving them 1.7% higher than a year earlier, Nationwide reports European stock markets have made a muted start to trading at the start of June. London’s FTSE 100 share inde has dropped by 30 points at the start of trading, with precious metals miners Fresnillo (-2.8%) and Endeavour Mining (-2.6%) leading the fallers, followed by defence firms BAE Systems (-2%) and Babcock (-2.3%). The tug of war for investors remains much the same: strong corporate earning

British house prices fell 0.6% in May, leaving them 1.7% higher than a year earlier, Nationwide reports

European stock markets have made a muted start to trading at the start of June.

London’s FTSE 100 share inde has dropped by 30 points at the start of trading, with precious metals miners Fresnillo (-2.8%) and Endeavour Mining (-2.6%) leading the fallers, followed by defence firms BAE Systems (-2%) and Babcock (-2.3%).

The tug of war for investors remains much the same: strong corporate earnings and AI-led optimism are still doing plenty of heavy lifting, but elevated bond yields, firm oil prices, and uncertainty over the path for interest rates are keeping a lid on the enthusiasm.

Valuation: the Board notes the highly opportunistic timing when easyJet’s share price is temporarily depressed due to the current situation in the Middle East and its impact on customer confidence and jet fuel prices.

Deliverability: the Board notes the considerable regulatory, financial and other execution challenges associated with a potential takeover of easyJet.

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