UK property asking prices fall more than usual -Rightmove

Average asking prices for newly listed houses and apartments in the UK fell by 1.9% in December, more than the historic average decline for the final month of the year, figures from property website Rightmove showed on Monday. The weakness contrasts with data from mortgage lenders Halifax and Nationwide over the past two weeks, which showed modest monthly price rises, suggesting that the past year's fall in house prices had bottomed out. "Further price falls beyond the usual seasonal trends that we'd expect at this time of year signal that some new sellers are continuing to act on the advice of agents to price competitively," said Rightmove director Tim Bannister.