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After six months of falls house prices across the country are on the rise again, according to analysis from part of the UK’s biggest mortgage lender.

Last month, for the first time since March, the cost of buying a house increased as the number of properties on the market shrunk, according to the Halifax house price index.

Despite a rise of 1.1% in October, following a 0.3% fall in September, prices are still lower than a year ago.

The increases meant the average house was sold for roughly £3,000 more than the month before at £281,974 compared to £291,248 in the same month last year.

Halifax is owned by the Lloyds Banking Group, the UK’s largest mortgage provider.

The steepest falls came in the southeast of the UK where prices declined 6% over the year to an average of £374,066.

Tuesday’s data echoes the finding of the Nationwide house price index published last week, which also showed a surprise rise in selling figures.

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It comes as mortgage rates have fallen from the highs seen over the summer as markets settle into the expectation that interest rates have peaked.

Meanwhile, the main measure of inflation – the consumer price index – stood at 6.7% in September, down from a recent high of 11% a year ago.

Contributing to the rise is a shortage of properties on the market, as sellers are cautious about listing a home, said the director at Halifax Mortgages, Kim Kinnaird.

This will grow prices in the short term but is not a sign of high buyer demand, she added.

“While many people will have seen their income grow through wage rises, higher interest rates and wider affordability pressures continue to be challenges for buyers.”

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Zoopla’s executive director Richard Donnell believes house price declines will continue in 2024 at an average of 2%

Drops in house prices are forecast, with growth not expected to return until 2025.

During the pandemic, house prices soared as savings rose and demand grew in more rural areas.

“On average, prices remain around £40,000 above pre-pandemic levels”, Kinnaird said.

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iPhones sold in US will no longer come from China – as Apple reveals impact of Trump’s tariffs

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iPhones sold in US will no longer come from China - as Apple reveals impact of Trump's tariffs

Apple says devices sold in the US will no longer come from China, as the tech giant tries to mitigate the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Most iPhones will be sourced from India instead, with iPads coming from Vietnam, to prevent dramatic price rises for American consumers.

Unveiling financial results from January to March, the company said the US president’s escalating trade war has had a limited impact on its performance so far.

However, Apple CEO Tim Cook believes the tariffs will add £677m in costs during the current quarter – assuming Trump’s policies don’t change.

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Revenue for the first three months of the year stood at £71.8bn, with earnings of £18.6bn also beating analyst expectations.

High demand for iPhones during this period may have been driven by US shoppers rushing to make purchases before the new tariffs came into force.

But the full impact of any panic buying will only emerge when Apple reports its results from April to June later in the year.

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Apple’s reliance on Chinese factories to manufacture its iPhones meant the company was far more exposed to the impact of Trump’s trade war than others.

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After the president unveiled plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries – now largely paused for 90 days – Apple’s stock plunged by 23%, wiping out £582bn of value.

While its share price has recovered slightly, it remains 5% lower than before “Liberation Day”.

Growing tensions between Washington and Beijing are also having an impact on Apple’s sales in China, which fell 2.3% between January and March.

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Addressing the planned changes to manufacturing, Mr Cook added: “We have a complex supply chain. There’s always risk in the supply chain. What we learned some time ago was that having everything in one location had too much risk with it.”

Devices sold outside of the US will continue to be made in China.

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Space NK owner kicks off £300m-plus sale process

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Space NK owner kicks off £300m-plus sale process

The owner of Space NK has kicked off a formal sale process more than a year since it hired bankers to auction the high street beauty chain.

Sky News has learnt that teasers have begun being circulated to prospective bidders in recent weeks, despite anxiety about consumer confidence in a stuttering UK economy.

Manzanita Capital, a private investment firm, engaged bankers at Raymond James to oversee an auction in April 2024.

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A deal is expected to fetch between £300m and £400m.

Manzanita has owned Space NK for more than 20 years, and is not expected to sanction a sale unless it receives an attractive offer.

One party contacted about a potential bid said the business appeared to be in good financial health.

Manzanita has also owned the French perfume house Diptyque and Susanne Kaufmann, an Austrian luxury skincare brand.

Founded in 1993 by Nicky Kinnaird, Space NK – which is named after her initials – trades from roughly stores and employs more than 1,000 people.

It specialises in high-end skincare and cosmetics products.

Manzanita previously explored a sale of Space NK in 2018, hiring Goldman Sachs to handle a strategic review, but opted not to proceed with a deal.

Manzanita has been contacted for comment, while Raymond James declined to comment.

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Tesla’s board members have reportedly started looking for Elon Musk’s successor as CEO

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Tesla's board members have reportedly started looking for Elon Musk's successor as CEO

Tesla’s board members have reportedly started a search for someone to replace Elon Musk as CEO.

Several executive search firms were approached to find a successor around a month ago, the Wall Street Journal reported.

But it added that the current status of the succession planning for the electric car-maker was not known.

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Tesla’s chair, Robyn Denholm, later reacted to the report by insisting that any suggestion of an active search was “absolutely false”.

She added that the board was highly confident in Musk’s ability to continue “executing on the exciting growth plan ahead”.

Musk’s net worth has plunged and Tesla stocks have fallen sharply amid a public backlash over his role in Donald Trump’s government. He owns just under 13% of Tesla stock and is the largest shareholder.

The world’s richest man has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has overseen the firing of tens of thousands of government employees.

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He has also supported far-right parties in Europe, which has led to protests against Musk and Tesla, which have seen its showrooms and charging stations vandalised across the US and Europe.

President Trump has labelled the vandals “terrorists”.

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It comes after Musk said the time he spends with DOGE would “drop significantly” from May and he will dedicate more time to running his companies, such as Tesla, SpaceX and X.

The board members met with Musk and asked him to announce publicly he would spend more time at Tesla, the report said.

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It was unclear if Musk, who is a member of the board, was aware of any attempts to identify a successor, or if his pledge to spend more time at Tesla had affected succession planning, it added.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump said Musk could be part of his administration for as long as he wants.

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“You’re invited to stay as long as you want,” Mr Trump said.

He said Musk had been “treated unfairly” for his role in helping Mr Trump slash the size of the federal government, adding: “You really have sacrificed a lot.”

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