The FTSE 100 Index Opens 0.03% Higher

London’s FTSE 100 was little changed at around 10,830 points on Friday as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of closely watched US jobs data. Bonds, meanwhile, found some relief after Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller eased expectations of a near-term rate hike, sending the dollar lower. In the UK, Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill argued that raising interest rates now could reduce the risk of the central bank having to tighten policy more aggressively later to contain inflation, which has risen amid the fallout from the Iran war. Mining stocks were among the weakest performers, with Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Glencore and Antofagasta each falling between 0.6% and 1%. Among individual movers, Barclays edged lower after announcing plans to more than double its banker headcount in its Singapore private-banking operation by 2030.

The FTSE 100 Index is gaining 3 points or 0.03 percent on Friday. Leading the gains are Barratt Redrow (1.85%), Vodafone (1.78%) and Halma (1.73%). Top losers are Experian (-3.60%), Coca-Cola (-1.44%) and British American Tobacco (-1.40%).

The FTSE 100 Index went up by 74 points or 0.69 percent on Thursday to close at 10831 points. The rise was led by London Stock Exchange (3.87%), Endeavour (3.83%) and Polar Capital Holdings (3.41%). On the downside, the weakerst performers were Reckitt Benckiser (-2.51%), Admiral (-2.49%) and Convatec Group (-2.14%).