Dec 27 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
Headlines
High street suffers as Boxing Day bargain hunters stay at home http://on.ft.com/2zA5mYC
Spy agency speeds up vetting in race for recruits http://on.ft.com/2zxW6UO
Small businesses less confident about prospects in 2018 http://on.ft.com/2zA01Ao
Overview
There were fewer Boxing Day shoppers on UK streets this year, according to retail intelligence provider Springboard, leaving retailers to pin their hopes for the Christmas season on higher online sales and overseas visitors.
Britain's eavesdropping agency GCHQ is trying to speed-up the screening process for new recruits by increasing the number of officers responsible for vetting new talent, after it failed to hit personnel targets last year in the face of intense competition for talent from banks and tech companies.
Small and medium-sized companies are ending 2017 reasonably confident about performing strongly in 2018, in spite of concerns about the economic slowdown, but a survey by the Institute of Directors found significantly less optimism than this time last year. (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom; Editing by Sandra Maler)