Irish house prices steady further, inflation ticks up

DUBLIN - Annual growth in Irish house prices hit a fresh six-year low of 0.9% in October, data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed on Thursday, as prices in Dublin fell for a third successive month.

House prices have stabilised over the last year having shot up for five years following a severe crash just over a decade ago. They fell 1.5% year-on-year in Dublin last month and stayed 16.9% below the 2007 peak nationally.

Separate data from the CSO showed that inflation across the economy, which barely budged throughout the five-year surge in house prices, rose to 1.1% in November from 0.7% in October.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Andrew Heavens) ((padraic.halpin@thomsonreuters.com; +353 1 500 1504; Reuters Messaging: padraic.halpin.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))