FTSE 100 Trades Higher, Set for Weekly Gain

2026-07-24 08:11 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

The FTSE 100 edged higher on Friday, with gains in financial stocks offsetting weakness across the energy, mining, healthcare and consumer sectors.

HSBC and Lloyds Banking rose more than 1%, while Barclays, NatWest and Standard Chartered also advanced.

Antofagasta traded modestly higher after resuming operations at its Los Pelambres copper mine following a weather-related disruption.

Reckitt Benckiser also posted small gains after announcing the sale of its Russian hygiene business to Arnest Management, a deal expected to result in a post-tax loss of about £175 million.

Meanwhile, Shell and BP came under pressure as oil prices eased after their recent rally.

On the economic front, UK retail sales surprised to the upside, rising 1% in June against expectations of a 0.3% decline.

Meanwhile, the S&P Global PMI indicated UK business activity returned to growth, exceeding forecasts.

The FTSE 100 remained on track for a weekly gain of around 0.7%.



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FTSE 100 Trades Higher, Set for Weekly Gain
The FTSE 100 edged higher on Friday, with gains in financial stocks offsetting weakness across the energy, mining, healthcare and consumer sectors. HSBC and Lloyds Banking rose more than 1%, while Barclays, NatWest and Standard Chartered also advanced. Antofagasta traded modestly higher after resuming operations at its Los Pelambres copper mine following a weather-related disruption. Reckitt Benckiser also posted small gains after announcing the sale of its Russian hygiene business to Arnest Management, a deal expected to result in a post-tax loss of about £175 million. Meanwhile, Shell and BP came under pressure as oil prices eased after their recent rally. On the economic front, UK retail sales surprised to the upside, rising 1% in June against expectations of a 0.3% decline. Meanwhile, the S&P Global PMI indicated UK business activity returned to growth, exceeding forecasts. The FTSE 100 remained on track for a weekly gain of around 0.7%.
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