Next anticipates profits exceeding £1.1bn following strong festive sales

In the latest trading session, the FTSE 100 index is under pressure as weak economic data from the UK spooks investors. The British economy has shown signs of strain, and this has weighed heavily on market sentiment. The FTSE 100 has slipped as traders await signs of how the slowdown will impact corporate earnings, interest‑rate decisions and…

On 12 December 2025, new data showed the UK economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1% in October. Economists had forecast slow growth or no change, but the output fell instead. This weak reading came from the Office for National Statistics and surprised many traders and analysts. At the same time, the FTSE 100 stock index edged…