{"id":127644,"title":"London trading ended with the FTSE 100 at a record high","publisher":"Share Talk","author":"sharetalk","published":"2025-10-01T16:35:25+00:00","modified":"2025-10-01T16:35:25+00:00","canonical_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/london-trading-ended-with-the-ftse-100-at-a-record-high/","markdown_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/london-trading-ended-with-the-ftse-100-at-a-record-high.md","json_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/london-trading-ended-with-the-ftse-100-at-a-record-high.json","category":"B2B","categories":["B2B","Blogs","Technology","Technology, Media & Telecoms"],"tags":["Bank of England","china","FTSE 100","FTSE 250","London Stock Exchange","US tariffs","USA"],"featured_image":"https://i0.wp.com/www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dreamstime_l_220888494-scaled-1.webp?fit=1200%2C650&quality=80&ssl=1","format":"news","language":"en-GB","content":"London trading ended with the FTSE 100 at a record high, after rising 96 points to close at 9,446. The index is now up about 15% so far this year.\n\n-\n**FTSE 100 closes at record high** – up 96 points to 9,446, extending year-to-date gains to ~15%.\n\n-\n**AstraZeneca surges 11%+** – market value tops £192bn, overtaking HSBC to become London’s most valuable listed company.\n\n-\n**GSK +6.1% and Hikma +5.7%** – strong gains across pharmaceuticals, driven by relief that proposed 100% US tariffs on branded drugs may be less severe than feared.\n\n-\n**Sector drivers** – healthcare led the rally, offsetting wider concerns about global trade tensions.\n\nAstraZeneca jumped more than 11%, lifting its value above £192 billion and pushing it ahead of HSBC to reclaim the title of London’s most valuable listed company. GSK rose 6.1% and Hikma gained 5.7%, leading the day’s other risers as investors welcomed signs that Donald Trump’s threatened 100% tariffs on branded drugs may be less severe than feared.\n\nElsewhere in the markets, oil prices dropped to a 17-week low today, pressured by expectations of another OPEC+ output increase next month and concerns that the US government shutdown could slow growth.\n\nBrent crude fell 1.1% to $65.31 a barrel, while US crude slipped to $61.69."}