Monday newspaper round-up: LSE, Ofwat, house prices...

(Sharecast News) - London Stock Exchange Group is weighing whether to launch 24-hour trading as bourses race to extend access to stocks amid growing demand from small investors active outside normal business hours. The group is looking into the practicalities of increasing its trading hours, according to people familiar with the situation, from the technology required to regulatory implications. Financial Times One of the Independent Water Commission's most important recommendations is the creation of a new integrated water regulator for the sector in England, and a single water regulator in Wales. These new body would replace Ofwat, the criticised regulator which the Guardian reported on Friday was to be abolished. The new integrated regulator in England would combine the functions of Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, as well as taking on the water functions from the Environment Agency and Natural England. The Guardian

The country's largest property search website has halved its prediction for how much house prices will rise this year, with more homes up for sale than at any point in the last decade. Rightmove, the first port of call for most would-be homebuyers, had previously estimated that UK house prices would rise, on average, by 4 per cent in 2025 but it has now cut this halfway through the year to 2 per cent. Its data shows that the number of homes on the market is at its highest since 2015 and it is this "high level of seller competition [that] is limiting price growth". Sellers who are too punchy with their asking prices risk "getting lost among the competition", it warned. The Times

The fate of The Telegraph is to be decided this week in a contentious House of Lords vote on foreign state shareholdings. The Government is pressing ahead on Tuesday with legislation to allow the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to retain a passive stake of up to 15pc. Easing an outright ban on foreign powers investing in newspapers is viewed as crucial to unlocking a £500m takeover of The Telegraph by RedBird Capital, an American private equity firm. A previous bid, majority-funded by the UAE, was blocked last year following a cross-party outcry over press freedom. The Telegraph

Sir Keir Starmer's government is seeking a way out of a clash with the Trump administration over the UK's demand that Apple provide it with access to secure customer data, two senior British officials have told the Financial Times. The officials both said the Home Office, which ordered the tech giant in January to grant access to its most secure cloud storage system, would probably have to retreat in the face of pressure from senior leaders in Washington, including vice-president JD Vance. Financial Times

Manufacturers will press ministers today to resurrect plans for a high-speed rail line reaching Leeds and Manchester as part of a large strategic investment to get lorries off Britain's roads and cut emissions. Business lobby group Make UK and Barclays Corporate Bank said research showed companies believe the move would significantly increase passenger numbers and free up capacity for rail freight on existing lines. The Guardian