At the opening bell, the FTSE 100 dropped 69.57 points lower at 10,683.31 as Asian equities faced difficulties regarding returns on artificial intelligence investments. Meanwhile, Brent crude futures advanced by 2.64% to reach USD 111.7 a barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) went up 0.63% to USD 99.56 per barrel.
On Thursday, the sterling traded at USD 1.3398, shifting from USD 1.3389 at the close of London equities on Wednesday. However, it weakened against the euro, moving down to EUR 1.1913 from EUR 1.1930.
Gainers & Losers
Among the top performers, Rentokil Initial jumped 7.88% to 339.50p, and the London Stock Exchange Group moved up 3.21% to 9,072.00p. Additional gainers included Ithaca Energy, which rose 2.12% to 299.00p, BP, which added 0.97% to 623.10p, BT Group, which climbed 0.97% to 208.60p, and Unilever, which went up 0.86% to 4,861.50p.
On the declining side, Games Workshop Group dropped 1.77% to 16,650.00p, and Lion Finance Group decreased 2.05% to 12,440.00p. Rio Tinto fell 2.55% to 6,317.00p, Anglo American shed 3.75% to 3,696.00p, Antofagasta lost 3.26% to 3,119.00p, and Endeavour Mining declined 2.28% to 4,027.00p.
LSEG Rose Profit Forecasts
The operator of the London Stock Exchange raised its profit projections as it confirmed an agreement to acquire New York-based credit data firm Octus for USD 3.5 billion (GBP 2.6 billion). The company stated that the purchase ‘significantly expands LSEG’s fixed income offering.’
“Public and private credit markets are converging,” LSEG remarked, noting that the combination will address ‘customer demand for timely, accurate and predictive intelligence, and proprietary data and analytics in this less liquid market segment.’
The enterprise’s pre-tax earnings outlook improved by 100-120 basis points, advancing from an initial estimate of 80-100 basis points and a preceding upgrade of 100 basis points.
RELX Shares Climb
RELX announced a 7% sales increase across the first nine months of 2026, driven by rising demand for its artificial intelligence tools. Its legal sector spearheaded the growth with a 10% sales jump, while the fraud prevention and financial services unit grew 8%.
The business maintained its full-year projections without modifications, anticipating robust expansion in both sales and earnings.
This corporate update follows earlier steep share price losses experienced by RELX and other London-based software providers earlier in the year amid worries that artificial intelligence might render their offerings obsolete.
Barclays to Cut Jobs
Barclays registered a structural cost expense of GBP 201 million during the third quarter to support technology-led reorganization. The British retail division absorbed GBP 110 million of this total, while the investment banking unit took on GBP 57 million.
Commenting on the expense, the lender stated it is “structurally reducing the cost base through expected technology-enabled FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) reductions, creating capacity for further investment in the business.”
An extra GBP 300 million in restructuring expenses has been set aside for the fourth quarter to secure further efficiency gains.
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Global Market View
In the United States, the NASDAQ Composite grew 1.05% to conclude at 26,702.86, and the S&P 500 increased 0.58% to 7,757.17. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 360.21 points, equivalent to 0.69%, finishing at 52,856.09.
Across Asian markets, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 dropped 2.65% to 62,907.84, and China’s Shanghai Composite retreated 1.48%. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 3.12%, while South Korea’s Kospi decreased 3.52%. In India, the Nifty 50 and the Sensex slid 0.44% and 0.52% respectively.
