Money Minute Wednesday 8 January: UK house prices and Chinese inflation

In the UK this morning, we get the latest report on house prices from Halifax.It's likely to show that house price growth across the UK was basically flat last year.Estate agents will doubtless be keen to promote the idea of a post-election bounce this year. Whether it materialises is another matter.

In the eurozone this morning, the latest snapshot of business and consumer confidence is due out.Analysts expect the December economic sentiment survey to come in at around 101. That points to weak economic growth for the fourth quarter of last year, but no recession.

Factory orders are also due from Germany, where the manufacturing sector remains in a very fragile state.

Also worth noting early tomorrow morning UK time, we get China's latest inflation data. Chinese consumer price inflation spiked last year as an epidemic of African Swine Fever drove up the price of pork, a key component of China's inflation basket.Consumer price index inflation is expected to come in at around 4.5%.