Business
Significant fall in government borrowing in December, figures show
UK government borrowing was significantly lower last month, due to more income from taxes and higher National Insurance Contributions outweighing spending, figures show.
In December government borrowing – the difference between public spending and tax income – was £11.6bn, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
It is down £7.1bn – 38% – from the previous December, and lower than what many economists had predicted, but still higher than that borrowed in the same month in 2023.
Tom Davies, Deputy Director for the ONS public service division, said the fall was a result of “receipts being up strongly on last year whereas spending is only modestly higher”.
Despite the annual fall, the December 2025 figure was the tenth highest for the month since records began in 1993, without adjusting for inflation.
And it remains higher than December 2023, when borrowing stood at £8.1bn.
The figures show the government received £7.7bn more – an 8.9% rise – in taxes in December 2025 than it did in the same month in 2024.
This comprised increases in income tax, corporation tax, VAT and National Insurance contributions (NIC), the ONS said – with changes to the rate of NIC paid by employers coming into effect in April last year.
According to provisional estimates, borrowing over the financial year to December totalled £140.4bn, about £300m lower than the same period in 2024, the ONS said.
The borrowing figure was estimated as 4.6% of GDP – 0.2 percentage points down from the same period last year.
It was the third-highest level of borrowing over April-December on record, after those in 2020 and 2024.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, said the government was “stabilising the economy, reducing borrowing, rooting out waste in the public sector”.
He said: “Last year we doubled our headroom and we are forecast to cut borrowing more than any other G7 country with borrowing set to be the lowest this year since before the pandemic.”
Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said public finances were “finally showing signs of improvement in recent months”.
“What’s more, a further improvement in January is on the way. Those figures will probably show a bumper set of self-assessment tax and capital gains tax (CGT) receipts reflecting the freeze on income tax thresholds and a disposal of assets due to the speculation that Reeves would raise CGT.”
But she said the “big picture is that the pace of deficit reduction remains very slow”.
Business
India’s FDI inflow may cross $90 billion in FY26, says DPIIT secretary – The Times of India
India’s total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows are likely to cross $90 billion in 2025-26 after already surpassing $88 billion during April-February, a top government official said on Thursday.DPIIT Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia said the government had undertaken a series of policy measures to attract foreign investments into the country, PTI reported.He said that during April-February 2025-26, inflows had crossed $88 billion and were “hopefully crossing $90 billion” for the full fiscal year.According to Bhatia, reform measures, free trade agreements and India’s fast-growing economy are helping the country attract strong investment flows.This reflects continued momentum in foreign investment inflows amid the government’s push to improve ease of doing business and expand global trade linkages.
Business
Oil jumps to highest price since 2022 after report Trump to be briefed on new Iran options
“It does seem as though escalation in the war is back on the table, be it in the guise of the US continuing its blockade in Iran, but also reports and rumours that in order to get out of this bind, Iran may start to strike again,” said Naveen Das, senior oil analyst at Kpler.
Business
Gold, silver price prediction: Will gold head down to Rs 1.40 lakh/10 grams & silver hit Rs 2.20 lakh/kg? – The Times of India
Gold and silver price prediction today: Gold and silver are exhibiting a slightly bearish bias, according to Abhilash Koikkara, Head – Forex & Commodities, Nuvama Professional Clients Group.
MCX Gold Price Outlook
MCX Gold, on the weekly timeframe, has retreated from its recent highs and remained under selling pressure over the past week. From a technical standpoint, prices have faced resistance at a significant trendline, with the daily chart now forming a sequence of lower lows, a classically bearish pattern. A sustained breakout above the trendline, however, could shift sentiment and invite fresh upside. For now, the intermediate trend remains rangebound to negative, reflecting a broader corrective structure, with a firm break below key support potentially accelerating the downside.Looking ahead to the coming week, the region around the weekly low of 140,000 is anticipated to emerge as a pivotal support zone, highlighting its importance from a technical perspective. As the ongoing correction runs its course, prices are expected to test this level making any short-term uptick a potential opportunity for fresh short positions rather than a cause for bullish conviction.Conversely, gold faces a notable resistance wall around the recent peak of 155,500 in the near term. Should prices manage a convincing breakout above this threshold, it would effectively invalidate the current bearish momentum and pave the way for a fresh upside move. A consistent hold above this level, moreover, would offer stronger confirmation that the corrective phase has run its course, and bullish sentiment has reclaimed control.To summarize, gold’s overall bias remains tilted to the downside, supported by a determined negative trend that keeps further losses on the table. The intermediate bearish framework is expected to stay intact so long as prices fail to reclaim the key resistance threshold of 155,500. With momentum indicators reinforcing the bearish case and market sentiment echoing the downside narrative, the metal looks poised to sustain its corrective momentum and press lower in the near term.
MCX Gold Trading Strategy
- CMP: 149,000
- Target: 140,000
- Stoploss: 155,500
MCX Silver Price Outlook
From a weekly standpoint, silver’s price action reflects a sideways to bearish bias, as the silver faces conflict at trendline resistance. The second straight week of negative closes reinforces the case for an intermediate bearish period taking hold. In this setting, we expect traders would be well-served to align their positions with the dominant trend while placing stop-loss levels around the prior weekly highs to effectively manage downside risk.The market opened the week on a weak footing, with prices trading below the 30-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), a sign that the negative bias remains in force. The bearish outlook is likely to persist as long as prices stay capped under key weekly resistance levels. Immediate support and the near-term target converge around the recent swing lows at 220,000, and a decisive close below this level could further deepen bearish bias. In the interim, any short-term bounce back is expected to be treated as opportunities to sell.To the upside, silver appears poised to challenge the trendline resistance in the area of 255,000 in the coming sessions. If the prices manage a convincing and sustained close above this threshold, it will weaken the ongoing bearish trend, a view currently reinforced by momentum indicators. On balance, the bearish structure is likely to remain dominant as long as 255,000 continues to act as a ceiling, paving the way for additional downside corrections ahead.
MCX Silver Trading Strategy
- CMP: 240,500
- Target: 220,000
- Stoploss: 255,000
(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
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