The Federal Housing Finance Agency's measure of American house prices registered a rise of 0.3% in July. However, June's monthly increase was revised down to 0.1%. American house prices are still 10.5% below their peak in April 2007 according to the index, which is based on the purchase prices of homes financed by mortgages sold to or guaranteed by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae, the country's government-backed mortgage-finance agencies.
Orders for new industrial goods in the euro area went up by 2.6% in the month to July, following a 4% increase in June. Greater demand for durable consumer goods accounted for much of the rise. Demand for non-durable consumer goods fell.
The British Bankers' Association's estimate of net mortgage lending in Britain, based on a survey including the seven largest retail lending groups, increased by £2.8 billion in August. The measure was 4.6% higher than a year earlier.
New Zealand's recession may be ending. Its economy grew by 0.4% in the three months to the end of June, which was the first quarter of growth since 2007. But the economy is still 1.1% smaller than it was in June 2008.
Industrial production in Taiwan declined by 9.6% in the year to August, topping the 7.9% decline in the 12 months to July. The mining, investment-goods and construction industries were among the worst hit, with production in each down by more than 20% on a year earlier.