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U.K. house prices dropped the most in 1 1/2 years in April as a stamp-duty exemption for first-time buyers ended and the economy fell into its first double-dip recession since the 1970s, Halifax said. Prices dropped 2.4 percent from March, the largest monthly decline since September 2010, to an average 159,883 pounds ($258,700), the mortgage [...]

The stock-market rally could push forward in the week ahead, absent any negative surprises from Europe. The surprisingly strong U.S. jobs data, and the growing momentum of a 10-week stock market rally could act as a magnet for buyers, with little in the way of new economic reports in the coming week. Europe, however, remains [...]

European stocks rose, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index extending this week’s rally, before reports that may add to optimism that the American economic recovery is gathering strength. U.S. index futures and Asian shares also advanced. Wavin NV (WAVIN) jumped 16 percent after Mexichem SAB increased its bid for the Dutch manufacturer by 11 percent [...]

A top European Central Bank policymaker has called for “quantitative easing” to be used to boost the euro zone economy if deflation risks emerge across the 17-country region. The comments by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, ECB executive board member, are the strongest indication yet that the central bank would expand its policy tools to prevent a [...]

European stocks advanced, extending this week’s gains, after U.S. jobless claims unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest since April 2008, indicating the recovery in the world’s largest economy is on track. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA and Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) climbed after the parent of British Airways reached a binding agreement to buy [...]

Did a big European bank come close to failing last night? European banks, especially French banks, rely heavily on funding in the wholesale money markets. Given the actions of the world’s largest central banks last night, it raises the question of whether a major bank was having difficulty funding its immediate liquidity needs. The Federal [...]

A U.K. house-price index was unchanged last month as weak consumer sentiment and uncertainty about the economic outlook caused potential sellers to defer putting their homes on the market, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said. The gauge by London-based RICS remained at minus 23 in September, it said in a statement today. A separate [...]

A U.K. house-price index was little changed in August and an expectations gauge dropped as a cloudy economic outlook weighed on property demand, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said. The number of real-estate agents and surveyors saying prices fell last month exceeded those seeing gains by 23 percentage points, compared with 22 percentage points [...]

U.K. consumer confidence slumped to its weakest level since the depth of the recession in February 2009 as the government’s budget cuts began in earnest, a report by GfK NOP Ltd. showed. The index of sentiment fell to minus 31 in April from minus 28 in March, the London-based research group said in an e-mailed [...]