The FTSE 100 is set to open higher shortly, buoyed by fresh record closes on Wall Street.
Futures indicate London’s blue-chip index will start around 46 points higher, building on yesterday’s 47-point advance that lifted it to 9,703.
Markets stabilised in the previous session after an initial sell-off sparked by Oracle’s earnings, which reignited concerns that the rapid expansion of AI investment may be proving too expensive for some technology heavyweights.
That backdrop left the Nasdaq down 0.3% on Thursday, while the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 pushed to new highs, rising 1.3% and 0.2% respectively.
Early indications suggest further gains for the Dow and S&P 500 later today, although technology shares — and the Nasdaq — are expected to remain under pressure.
Asian markets have been broadly positive, with Japan’s Nikkei up 1.4%, Shanghai’s SSE Composite 0.4% higher and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gaining 1.5%. India’s Sensex is up 0.5%, while Australia’s ASX has risen 1.2%.
