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Stock prices in London continued to trade higher at Thursday midday ahead of US trade balance and weekly jobless data, as a glistening gold price boosted stocks in mining companies. The FTSE 100 index was up 62.97 points, 0.6%, at 10,217.40. The FTSE 250 was down 12.41 points, 0.1%, at 23,378.40, and the AIM all-share was up 4.66 points, 0.6%, at 836.75. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 1,020.12, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.1% at 20,663.35, and the Cboe small companies was up 0.7% at 18,687.56. In European equities on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.6%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was down 0.9%. It was a busy day for corporate earnings, while in the EU, economic sentiment and employment expectations strengthened across both the EU and the euro area in January, according to survey data published by the European Commission on Thursday, pointing to a broad-based improvement in confidence at the start of 2026. The economic sentiment indicator rose by 1.9 points in the EU as a whole to 99.2 points and by 2.2 points in the eurozone to 99.4 points. This marked the closest the EU indicator has come to its long-term average of 100 since June 2022, while the eurozone reading was the strongest since January 2023. Employment expectations also improved in both regions, reaching their highest levels in 12 months. The employment expectations indicator increased by 0.9 point to 99.1 points in the EU and by 1.2 points to 98.2 points in the euro area, though both remained slightly below their long-term averages. The rise in economic sentiment was driven by stronger confidence across most sectors. The improvement was also geographically broad-based, with sentiment rising in all six of the EU’s largest economies, led by France, Germany and Poland. The pound was quoted at $1.3791 at midday on Thursday in London, higher compared to $1.3778 at the equities close on Wednesday. The euro stood at $1.1946, higher against $1.1935. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JP¥153.44, lower compared to JP¥153.63. Stocks in New York were called higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was called up 0.2%, the S&P 500 index up 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.1%. Tech titan Apple is due to release its annual earnings after the closing bell. AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: ‘Wall Street yesterday greeted the latest Federal Reserve decision with a shrug as interest rates were kept on hold with much of the action coming after the market close as investors reacted to results from Tesla, Microsoft and Meta. Asian markets were more downbeat as the possibility of conflict in the Middle East was weighed up.’ The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.26%, unchanged. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was quoted at 4.88%, stretched from 4.87%. Ireland entered a recession as economic contraction accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2025, preliminary data showed on Thursday. The Central Statistics Office said the Irish economy contracted by 0.6% on quarter in the fourth quarter, an acceleration from a 0.3% decline in the third quarter. The economy had grown 0.3% in the second quarter, meaning two consecutive quarterly contractions confirm a recession. On-year growth slowed markedly to 3.7% in the fourth quarter from 10.8% in the third quarter. It had stood as high as 20.0% in the first quarter of 2025 and has decelerated ever since. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has secured a deal on visa-free travel to China for UK citizens during his visit to Beijing, Downing Street announced. Those visiting the country for less than 30 days will no longer need a visa under the agreement. On the FTSE 100, the surge in gold prices supported mining stocks. Gold climbed to a fresh record above $5,500 an ounce after the Federal Reserve opted to leave interest rates unchanged. Gold was quoted at $5,519.90 an ounce early Thursday, higher than $5,282.35 at the London equities close on Wednesday. Glencore was up 3.9%, Antofagasta rose 8.0%, and Endeavour Mining gained 5.1%. Lloyds Banking was up 1.6% after reporting better-than-expected profit, announcing a buyback, flagging the prospect of more frequent returns and lifting its 2026 guidance. The lender’s annual profit increase came despite £968 million in remediation costs, including £800 million related to motor finance commission arrangements booked in the third quarter. Fourth-quarter pretax profit jumped to £1.98 billion from £824 million a year earlier, while net income rose 8.4% to £4.74 billion from £4.38 billion, aided by higher net interest income. On the FTSE 250, Saga was the top performer, up 9.7%, as it said it expects to report increased earnings for its full year following ‘excellent’ second-half trading. The company said it anticipates higher underlying pretax profit for the year. Among smaller caps, Eqtec fell 20% after announcing a comprehensive corporate reset, combining balance-sheet restructuring, an equity fundraise and a strategic pivot into copper-gold exploration assets in Australia. Eqtec said it has agreed to restructure £5.8 million of debt and conditionally raised £1.3 million via a placing, alongside plans to acquire interests in the Green Rock and Peak Hill projects. Brent oil was also trading higher at $68.79 a barrel early Thursday, up from $68.01 late Wednesday. Still to come on Thursday’s economic calendar are Canada’s trade balance, the US trade balance and weekly jobless claims, as well as US factory orders and wholesale inventories. Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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