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East leads the way for rising house prices: The average cost of a home in Britain has reached a fresh high, with the east tightening its grip as the region with the fastest-growing house prices

UK consumer price index unexpectedly dropped in September In September, on a YoY basis, the consumer price index recorded an unexpected drop of 0.10% in the UK, compared to an unchanged reading in the prior month. Markets were expecting the consumer price index to record an unchanged reading

UK house price index rose more than expected in August Office for National Statistics has indicated that, in August, the house price index in the UK advanced 5.20% on an annual basis, compared to a similar rise in the previous month. Market anticipation was for the house price index to advance 5.00%.

UK retail price index unexpectedly eased in September In the UK, the retail price index unexpectedly eased by 0.10%, on MoM basis, to a level of 259.60 in September, compared to a reading of 259.80 in the previous month. Market anticipation was for the retail price index to rise to a level of 260.00. UK output producer price index dropped as expected in September In September, the non-seasonally adjusted output producer price index registered a drop of 1.80% in the UK on a YoY basis, compared to a revised fall of 1.90% in the previous month. Markets were anticipating output producer price index to fall 1.80%. UK retail price index ex-mort int. payments advanced less than expected in September In the UK, the retail price index ex-mort int. payments climbed 0.90% on an annual basis in September, compared to an advance of 1.20% in the previous month. Markets were anticipating the retail price index ex-mort int. payments to climb 1.10%. UK PPI core output advanced as expected in September On a YoY basis, the non-seasonally adjusted PPI core output rose 0.20% in September, in the UK, at par with market expectations. In the prior month, PPI core output had registered a revised flat reading. UK core consumer price index advanced less than expected in September In the UK, the core consumer price index advanced 1.00% on an annual basis in September, lower than market expectations for a rise of 1.10%. In the previous month, the core consumer price index had registered a similar rise.

At 0330GMT today, Brent crude oil one month futures contract is trading 0.16% or $0.08 higher at $49.32 per barrel, ahead of the American Petroleum Institute weekly oil inventory data, scheduled to be released later today. Yesterday, the contract declined 1.24% or $0.62, to settle at $49.24 per barrel, after the International Energy Agency, in its report, stated that markets will remain oversupplied next year and demand for the commodity will reduce to 1.2 million barrels per day in 2016. Moreover, demand concerns from China also weighed on the commodity

Healthcare property group Assura raises £300 million through equity placings to fund expansion: Healthcare property group Assura said it has raised more than £300 million using equity placings as it seeks to expand its portfolio of GP surgeries and health centres

Hold Shell as balance strong enough to support dividend: Shares in Royal Dutch Shell have gained more than 20% this month after the oil giant managed to ease fears over its mega-deal for gas group BG and as the oil price staged something of a recovery. So is now the time to buy into that 6.7% dividend yield? The main attraction with Shell shares has always been their stability and healthy dividend income. But both of those features have come under serious pressure this year. The shares have slumped to a five-year low as the oil price continued to fall and investors balked at the £47 billion deal to buy gas rival BG. The shares have been thrown a lifeline as the oil price has staged a mini-recovery in October. As tensions heat up in and around Syria, the oil price has jumped more than 10% to about $53 per barrel. Stepping back from the mini-rally, it is still a bleak picture for the oil industry. The oil price has declined 20% so far this year and demand is weak. Shell has a strong balance sheet and the 188 cents (123p) dividend looks sustainable for now. We would still be happy to hold on as it commands a strong position. So, at a net spend on 706p they could receive their 0.4454 share of the 123p Shell dividend, or a prospective yield of 7.9%. Royal Dutch Shell ‘B’ at £18.14 -19p. Questor says “Hold.”

North Sea gas: bottom fishing: This week Ineos, the U.K. chemical company founded by Jim Ratcliffe, decided that it too sees an opportunity off the U.K. coastline. It has bought some natural gasfields from LetterOne, which in turn acquired them from Germany’s DEA in 2014.

Nick Candy wants to be heard in advertising once again: A shell company set up by Nick Candy, the property tycoon, to target a natural resources deal has been used instead for the reverse takeover of an advertising company run by the Founder of Aegis.

Climate fears mean oil will stay in ground, says BP: Most of the world’s remaining oil will stay in the ground because of rising concerns about climate change, BP has predicted.

Shell offloads North Sea assets as price slump bites: Royal Dutch Shell is selling two assets in the North Sea as the big energy companies respond to high production costs and a slump in crude prices by turning their backs on the basin..

At 0330GMT today, Brent crude oil one month futures contract is trading 0.96% or $0.48 higher at $50.34 per barrel, ahead of the American Petroleum Institute weekly oil inventory data, scheduled to be released later today. Yesterday, the contract declined 5.3% or $2.79, to settle at $49.86 per barrel, as concerns about an oil supply glut exacerbated after the OPEC stated that its crude production increased to the highest level since April 2012 in September.

Kuwait Petroleum Company to sign service agreements by end 2015 Mon, 12th Oct 2015 08:01 KUWAIT, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC) said on Monday it was in talks with Shell, BP and Total over sign technical service deals and aimed to finalise them by the end of the year. "It will be for heavy oil and greater Burgan and north Kuwait (oilfields), bids will be issued next week, mid-October, and we expect to sign by end of year," Chief Executive Officer Nizar Adsani told Reuters. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; Writing by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Louise Heavens)

Oil market - Oil demand will grow and non-OPEC supply is due to contract, OPEC Secretary-General Abdalla Salem El-Badri said, hoping to see a more balanced market in 2016

Soaring London house prices sucking cash out of economy, study says: Soaring London house prices are costing the economy more than £1 billion a year and preventing the creation of thousands of jobs, as individuals plough money into buying and renting instead of spending their cash elsewhere, a report has claimed

City planning delays stifle new housing, says report: Some of England’s biggest cities are taking more than six months to approve planning applications, despite government efforts to solve the chronic national housing shortage

At 0330GMT today, Brent crude oil one month futures contract is trading 0.72% or $0.38 higher at $53.03 per barrel. On Friday, the contract declined 0.75% or $0.40, to settle at $52.65 per barrel. Meanwhile, Baker Hughes reported that the number of US oil rigs declined by 9 to reach 605 in the last week.

Shell and Exxon's €5 billion problem: gas drilling that sets off earthquakes and wrecks homes: Shell and Exxon Mobil, and a government that, for two decades, denied responsibility for its actions and ignored the voices of citizens and scientists. The scandal has already cost the oil companies €1.2 billion [£880 million], but last month a landmark court ruling gave the victims fresh hope that their voices could be ignored no longer. And if they are right, the consequences could be profound: a compensation bill that could stretch to more than €5 billion in Holland, an energy security headache for Europe, and an invocation for the world to think about the real cost of burning fossil fuels.

Right to Rent scheme risks discriminating against immigrants, warns Andy Burnham: New checks on the immigration status of tenants risk becoming the modern equivalent of infamous “no dogs, no blacks, no Irish” signs. Research shows that some landlords are reluctant to let to people with foreign-sounding names or accents, shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham has warned.

Ratcliffe dives into North Sea: Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire who crafted an empire by scooping unloved industrial assets, has made a £500 million bet on the North Sea just as the industry grapples with a historic downturn.