James Salmon

With markets quiet and policymakers largely off-duty, today’s business news is lighter than usual due to the Christmas holiday period.

The UK ends 2025 on a fragile footing, with consumer spending falling, business investment at a G7 low, and household confidence weakening after repeated tax rises.

UK businesses are heading into 2026 with growth expected to stay weak and consumers increasingly pessimistic about the economy.

As we begin a new year, we’d like to wish all our readers a healthy, successful and profitable 2026.

Markets have kicked off the new year with confidence, but beneath the headlines SMEs face continued pressure from taxes, costs and cash-flow risks.

The UK economy begins 2026 under a complex mix of optimism and caution. The FTSE 100 briefly breached the symbolic 10,000-point mark, signalling

UK businesses start 2026 facing a complex mix of rising costs, tax uncertainty and uneven demand.

UK businesses enter 2026 facing a complex mix of optimism and risk. Stock markets have reached record highs, small business confidence is improving

UK businesses are facing a tough mix of rising employment costs, weak confidence, uneven consumer demand and mounting insolvency risk.

UK businesses are heading into 2026 facing a difficult mix of weaker demand, rising job losses and ongoing policy uncertainty.