Investing.com - Mortgage approvals in the U.K. rose less than expected in June, industry data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, the British Banker's Association said that the number of new mortgages approved increased to 43,300 last month from May’s revised total of 41,900.
Analysts had expected the number of new mortgages approved to rise to 43,400 in June.
Following the release of that data, the pound held on to modest gains against the U.S. dollar, with GBP/USD rising 0.09% to trade at 1.7081.
Meanwhile, European stock markets remained higher. London’s FTSE 100 tacked on 0.1%, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 inched up 0.25%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.35%, while Germany's DAX rose 0.45%.