Prescott's figures might come later than the others, but - based on completions - they have a reputation for reliability. December numbers reach the press today. Annual inflation is shown to have risen to 2.9% (from 2.2% in November). And in London there seems to have been a more marked increase (to 3.8% from 1.5%), suggesting to me that as the year drew to a close the pressure to complete was felt greater amongst buyers than amongst sellers. Press this to download a pdf of the report to your desktop.

Mildly pessimistic start to year from Halifax [February 9]