UK September house prices up 1.0 pct vs August; up 8.0 pct yr-on-yr

House prices in the UK continued to register strong gains in September, indicating that the property markets remains healthy, according to data from HBOS unit Halifax. It said house prices rose by 1.0 pct in September from August for an annual increase of 8.0 pct, taking the average house price up to 181,186 stg. Despite the big monthly rise, the annual rate has now eased for the third straight month due to the strong gains seen over the same months last year. Additionally, the latest figures are above expectations of 0.8 pct and 7.9 pct respectively.