European markets have opened sharply lower today, as investors weighed a possible US government shutdown after the nation’s lawmakers struggle to strike deal on the government funding. Meanwhile, speculation that Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta might bring confidence vote in Parliament further dragged the markets lower.

Closer home, property tracking website Hometrack revealed that the average asking price of a house in the UK rose 0.5% MoM in September, marking the largest monthly gain in six years, as compared to a 0.4% MoM gain in August.

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