Business & Economy

Published: 06 January 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. UK car sales crossed a symbolic threshold in 2025, offering cautious optimism to an industry reshaped by disruption. After several difficult years, UK car sales exceeded two million vehicles, marking the strongest annual performance since before the pandemic. The rebound was driven largely by rapid growth from Chinese manufacturers, whose expanding presence transformed consumer choice and intensified competition...

Published: 05 January 2025The English Chronicle DeskThe English Chronicle Online The number of properties being flipped across England and Wales has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, underlining how rising stamp duty and construction costs are making it increasingly difficult for investors to turn a quick profit from the housing market. New data from estate agent Hamptons shows that just 2.3 per cent of homes sold...

Published: 05 January 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The UK’s economy faces increasing pressure in 2026 as the collapse of zombie firms is expected to push unemployment higher. Zombie firms, defined as companies barely covering their costs while staying operational, are struggling under rising energy prices, interest rates, and a higher minimum wage, according to new analysis from the Resolution Foundation. Economists warn that this pattern...

Published: 02 January 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. UK house prices fell sharply in December, according to Nationwide, marking the weakest annual growth in more than eighteen months. The average property value dropped by 0.4% to £271,068 compared with November, confounding City expectations for a modest 0.1% rise. Nationwide noted that the annual increase slowed to just 0.6%, the lowest rate since April 2024. Analysts say...

Published: 02 January 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The FTSE 100 hit the 10,000 mark for the first time, reflecting a remarkable year for UK investors. The UK’s leading share index surged past this historic milestone during a late-year rally, demonstrating resilience and renewed confidence in domestic equities. Early Friday trading saw the FTSE 100 reach a peak of 10,046 points before easing slightly, signaling a...

Published: 31 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Chinese cars are forecast to make up one in every ten new vehicles sold in the UK during 2025, highlighting a rapid rise in market presence. Analysts say the surge in Chinese car sales, including brands like MG, BYD, and Chery, is reshaping the UK automotive landscape. According to Matthias Schmidt, an expert in European electric vehicles, Chinese...

The precious metals market has been rocked by sudden volatility, with gold price silver fall trends alarming investors after silver recorded its steepest decline since the Covid pandemic and gold prices followed sharply lower. Thin trading conditions during the festive period, combined with speculative excess and regulatory tightening, have been blamed for dramatic swings that wiped billions off market values in a matter of hours. Silver prices plunged by around...

Britain has recorded the weakest investment performance among the world’s leading economies, with UK investment G7 Starmer figures showing the country at the bottom of the group, dealing a major blow to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to revive economic growth and restore long-term investor confidence. According to data released by the Office for National Statistics, total investment by government and businesses stood at just 18.6 per cent of...

Published: 30 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Britain’s business community has received prominent recognition in the New Year Honours List, highlighting leadership during an era of economic disruption and social change. Senior figures from retail, energy, defence, technology, and finance have been acknowledged for their contributions to national resilience, innovation, and public service. At the centre of attention stands Simon Roberts, the chief executive of...

Published: 29 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has announced it will largely end remote examinations due to escalating concerns over cheating driven by artificial intelligence tools. This shift, effective from March, signals a major change for the world’s largest accounting body, which represents nearly 260,000 professional members and more than half a million students globally. ACCA chief executive...