The index gained 0.3% to 10,891.1 points by 1104 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.3%
International News via Reuters:
Britain’s FTSE 100 rose on Friday, with healthcare and energy-related companies providing the biggest boosts, keeping the blue-chip index on track for its best weekly showing in about a month.
The index gained 0.3% to 10,891.1 points by 1104 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.3%.
• Both benchmarks, however, were headed for firm weekly gains, with the FTSE 100 set for its best week since mid-October
• Aviva rose 2.7% to lead FTSE 100 gainers after posting a 19% rise in general insurance premiums for the first nine months of 2026
• Oil majors BP and Shell gained about 1% each and were among the biggest boosts to the index
• Healthcare heavyweights AstraZeneca and GSK also nudged higher, offering support to the main index
• Precious metal miners extended losses from the previous session, slipping 0.6% and set for an over 6% fall for the week, tracking recent weakness in gold prices
• Aerospace and defence-related stocks were among the losers, with Rolls-Royce, Weir Group and Babcock International down between 0.9% and 1.6%
• DFS Furniture dropped 4.5% after the sofa retailer warned that the upholstery market had softened further, hit by strained household finances and weaker consumer confidence
• Investors will look out for a US producer prices reading due later in the day for clues on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate path
• The domestic data calendar is packed next week, with inflation readings and a jobs report expected
• After the Bank of England increased its main lending rate earlier this month, traders are pricing in an over 82% chance of another 25-basis-point hike next month, according to data compiled by LSEG
Reporting by Darshan Kumar and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das
