Mortgage rates in the UK have touched their lowest mark since early September 2022, the first time the average five-year fixed rate has dipped below 5% since May 2023.

Citing new data from Moneyfacts, The Guardian reported that the average fixed UK mortgage rates for two and five years have fallen to 4.86% and 4.91%, respectively.

Why UK mortgage rates hit lowest since september 2022?

This steep low in UK mortgage rates is attributed to lenders’ growing confidence that the Bank of England will soon lower interest rates from 4% to 3.75%.

The Moneyfacts Average Mortgage Rate plunged from 4.99% to 4.91% month-on-month, and it has dropped by 0.53% year-on-year from 5.44% in December 2024.

Rachel Springall, a finance expert at Moneyfacts, noted that November was particularly favourable for fixed-rate cuts, with the average two-year fixed rate facing its largest monthly decline since August. The five-year fixed rate also recorded its deepest fall in over six months.

As a result, the average shelf-life of a UK-based mortgage product has fallen to just 18 days, while the number of available mortgage deals has risen to over 7,000.

This positive trend in UK mortgage rates reflects a shifting landscape in the UK housing market, providing potential homeowners with easier borrowing conditions. 

Taylor Swift being the lucky charm for Travis Kelce’s games could not work in the Kansas City Chiefs’ favour in their latest matchup against the Houston Texans.

The 36-year-old tight end reportedly had the worst performance of this season during the game on Sunday, December 7, which greatly affected the team’s chance to enter the playoffs and make their six-year streak of playing the Super Bowl.

Football fans on social media were equal parts angry and sympathetic towards the NFL star, as they flocked together to express their feelings after the game.

The New Heights co-host himself looked dejected after the Texans defeated the Chiefs by a great margin, as he was seen walking off the field with his face still hidden behind the helmet.

The pop superstar, 35, who was watching the game with her friends Selena Gomez and Lena Dunham, was also seen sharing worried looks with her pals.

Kelce’s performance is not only a setback for the team but also for his personal football journey, as he confessed to still being unsure about his retirement.

While it has been commonly believed that the Grotesquerie star is playing his last season before he retires, he recently shared that he would come back for another season if the team asked him.

However, sports enthusiasts claim that given his unsatisfactory performance for the past two seasons, Kelce should bid farewell to the NFL. 

Dame Judi Dench spoke candidly about the challenges of aging and her deteriorating eyesight.

The Skyfall alum shared emotional details during her wide-ranging interview with the Radio Times before her 91st birthday Tuesday.

The Oscar-winning actress revealed that her battle with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) has now left her unable to watch television or read scripts unaided.

She relies on assistants and colleagues to read lines aloud.

Dench memorizes the lines using her photographic memory.

Her eyes are in the progressed ‘wet’ stage of AMD which makes them beyond treatment.

“It’s a crusher”, said Dench.

“I miss seeing Clive Myrie doing Mastermind, but I can hear the questions,” Dench answered when asked about what she missed.

The 90-year-old is also incapable of continuing other past activities too like embroidery, driving or even going out alone.

Despite this, she continues to work as she is determined not to let her condition silence her career.

Another hurdle in her life is short-term memory loss.

She joked that while she can recite Shakespeare’s soliloquies, she often forgets what she is meant to do tomorrow.

Dench confessed to fearing that she will ‘lose the plot’.