{"id":139769,"title":"FTSE 100 holds firm as miners offset JD Sports slump","publisher":"Share Talk","author":"sharetalk","published":"2026-08-20T16:20:23+00:00","modified":"2026-08-20T16:20:23+00:00","canonical_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/ftse-100-holds-firm-as-miners-offset-jd-sports-slump/","markdown_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/ftse-100-holds-firm-as-miners-offset-jd-sports-slump.md","json_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/ftse-100-holds-firm-as-miners-offset-jd-sports-slump.json","category":"Blogs","categories":["Blogs","Technology","Technology, Media & Telecoms"],"tags":["Asia","Bangkok","Denmark","Endeavour Mining","Fed","Federal Reserve","Finland","FRANCE","FTSE 100","GERMANY","Glencore","Greenland plan","Hong kong","Japan","London","Manila","mining stocks","Mumbai","Nasdaq Composite","NATO alliance","Netherlands","Nikkei 225","Norway","S&P 500","shanghai","Singapore","Sweden","Sydney","Taiwan","UK","United States","Wall Street","Wellington"],"featured_image":"https://i0.wp.com/www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/dreamstime_l_220888494-scaled-1.webp?fit=1500%2C812&ssl=1","format":"news","language":"en-GB","content":"The **FTSE 100 finished marginally higher on Thursday**, as strength among oil producers and precious-metals miners offset a sharp sell-off in JD Sports following another profit warning.\n\nLondon’s blue-chip index added just **4.81 points to 10,748.16**, while the FTSE 250 fell 0.6% to 24,508.66. The AIM All-Share gained 0.3% to 804.09.\n\n**JD Sports Fashion was the standout FTSE 100 faller, dropping 14%** after cutting its full-year profit forecast. The retailer now expects pretax profit before adjusting items of **£700 million to £800 million**, compared with previous guidance of £750 million to £850 million.\n\nChief executive Regis Schultz described trading as “tough”, pointing to a highly promotional market, weakness in the footwear cycle and additional cost-of-living pressures on consumers.\n\nOil stocks provided some of the strongest support for the index as **Brent crude climbed to $93.53 a barrel** amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran. BP gained 2.4% and Shell advanced 0.6%.\n\nGold miners also continued their recent rally as **gold climbed above $4,500 an ounce**, helping Fresnillo rise 2.7% and Endeavour Mining gain 2.1%.\n\nMeanwhile, concerns over government borrowing and interest rates returned to bond markets. The US 10-year Treasury yield increased to 4.70%, while the 30-year yield rose to 5.26%, partially reversing Wednesday’s decline following the US Treasury’s decision to increase purchases of longer-dated debt.\n\nAmong mid-caps, **Trainline dropped another 9%** as investors continued to assess the Competition & Markets Authority’s investigation into the presentation of mandatory booking fees.\n\nAshtead Technology fell 16% after warning that project delays linked to the Middle East conflict would leave full-year revenue and earnings below market expectations."}