FTSE 100 Recovers as Banks and Miners Lift Index

2026-02-06 12:55 By Joana Ferreira 1 min. read

London’s FTSE 100 edged up to around 10,330 points on Friday, reversing earlier losses and on track to record a second consecutive weekly gain, supported by signals from the Bank of England on Thursday that interest rates could be lowered if the recent decline in inflation proves sustained.

Heavyweight bank stocks led the advance, with shares in Barclays, NatWest Group and Lloyds rising between 1.1% and 1.9%.

Mining stocks also rebounded as precious metal prices climbed amid heightened US–Iran tensions, and following reports that merger talks between Rio Tinto and Glencore had collapsed.

By contrast, data and software stocks underperformed amid growing concerns that AI could disrupt their business models.

RELX slid more than 4% and Experian dropped 2.9%.

Domestic political uncertainty added to caution after emails revealed the extent of UK ambassador Peter Mandelson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, posing a fresh challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership.



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