The FTSE 100 Index Opens 0.02% Lower

The FTSE 100 edged up on Friday, with AstraZeneca rising around 1.6%, GSK up 0.9% and Hikma Pharmaceuticals advancing 1.4%. Defence stocks also performed well, with BAE Systems up 0.5%, Babcock International gaining nearly 2%, and Rolls-Royce edging higher. Oil majors BP and Shell added 1.5% and 0.7% respectively as crude prices recovered. In contrast, banks and miners weighed on the index, with Lloyds Banking down 1.8%, Barclays and NatWest falling between 0.7% and 0.9%, and HSBC and Standard Chartered also lower. Rio Tinto, Glencore, Anglo American and Antofagasta declined between 0.3% and 1.1%. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham won the closely watched Makerfield by-election with 54.8% of the vote, bolstering his position as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. UK public sector borrowing hit £23.3 billion in May, above forecasts, while retail sales rebounded 1.2%, beating expectations. Despite Friday’s gains, the FTSE 100 ended the week down more than 0.5%.

The FTSE 100 Index is dropping 2 points. Leading the losses are Admiral (-5.29%), Unite Group (-3.94%) and Endeavour (-1.60%). Top gainers were Babcock International (2.52%), Entain (1.38%) and BP (1.34%).

The FTSE 100 Index decreased 118 points or 1.12 percent on Thursday to close at 10391 points. The decline was led by London Stock Exchange (-6.35%), Persimmon (-6.08%) and WPP (-5.52%).