The UK’s benchmark index closed at a fresh record on Thursday as stronger-than-expected economic data highlighted the resilience of the economy and robust earnings supported financial stocks.
The FTSE 100 rose 54.59 points, or 0.5%, to close at 10,238.94. The FTSE 250 jumped 1.4%, gaining 322.67 points to 23,279.98, while the AIM All-Share added 0.4% to 804.48.
London markets are set to open lower on Friday, as investors digest weakness across Asian equities and prepare for closer scrutiny of technology earnings as the reporting season gathers momentum. Futures data from IG indicates the FTSE 100 will open 12.9 points lower, down 0.1%, at 10,226.04.
In the US on Thursday, Wall Street closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.6%, the S&P 500 gaining 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite also rising 0.3%.
Asian markets were mostly weaker on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.3%, China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.1%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 0.6%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.5%.
In commodities, gold eased to USD4,597.60 an ounce early Friday from USD4,616.76 on Thursday. Brent crude edged slightly lower to USD63.50 a barrel, compared with USD63.55 late the previous session.
