The FTSE 100 is expected to open little changed on Thursday, with investors bracing for a widely anticipated Bank of England rate cut later in the day.
Futures suggest the London index will add around a point at the open, after rising 89.5 points on Wednesday to close at 9,774.3.
Overnight, US stocks fell sharply again, led by another sell-off in technology. The Nasdaq slid 1.8% and the S&P 500 dropped 1.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%.
Oracle shares sank nearly 6% amid renewed concerns about funding linked to its AI strategy, dragging other AI-related names lower — Nvidia and Broadcom each fell around 4%, and Alphabet lost more than 3%.
In Asia, markets were mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei down 1% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng off 0.2%, while mainland Chinese and Indian stocks edged slightly higher.
