The FTSE 100 is expected to open lower on Friday, with weakness on Wall Street overnight likely to drag on investor sentiment as October draws to a close.
Futures trading points to a 22-point drop for London’s blue-chip index, after it managed a late rebound on Thursday to finish 3 points higher at 9,760, marking another record closing level.
In the US, markets ended sharply lower, with the Nasdaq Composite tumbling 1.6%, the S&P 500 down 1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipping 0.2%, as renewed selling in major technology stocks weighed on risk appetite.
Apple and Amazon both delivered upbeat results after the bell, boosting investor confidence in the Big Tech sector.
Apple beat forecasts on the back of robust iPhone sales and issued optimistic holiday quarter guidance, while Amazon reported its fastest AWS growth since 2022, sending its shares up 13% in post-market trading — the largest gain among the ‘Magnificent Seven’ this week.
“Overall, Big Tech wrapped up the earnings season on solid footing despite mixed price reactions — largely a Fed-driven sentiment issue rather than a fundamental one,” said Jim Reid, strategist at Deutsche Bank.
In Asia, markets were mixed on Friday, with Tokyo’s Nikkei posting strong gains, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and China’s Shanghai Composite both traded lower, reflecting cautious sentiment amid ongoing concerns about global growth and monetary policy direction.
