FTSE 100 Hits Fresh Record High

RTTNews | 10 시간 52 분 전

(RTTNews) - U.K. stocks are up in positive territory Friday morning, and the benchmark FTSE 100 looks set to end the month with a strong gain, as the mood remains a bit bullish amid optimism about more monetary easing by central banks in the coming months.

Uncertainty about the trade and economic policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and worries about potential new tariffs by his administration appear to be limiting the market's upside.

The benchmark FTSE 100 is up 28.82 or 0.33% at 8,675.70, after climbing to a fresh record high of 8,692.61 earlier this morning. The index is set to close the month with a gain of over 6%.

Smiths Group shares are soaring more than 11%. The stocks is up following the company unveiling plans to divest divisions and expand its share buyback program.

Next is rising 2.5%, while St. James's Place is gaining about 1.7%. Entain, Rolls-Royce Holdings, BAE Systems, Mondi, JD Sports Fashion, F&C Investment Trust, Melrose Industries and Shell are up 1 to 1.5%.

Smith (DS), Sainsbury, Admiral Group, Fresnillo, segro and Airtel Africa are down 1 to 1.6%. Prudential, Auto Trader Group, Convatec and Whitbread are moderatly lower.

On the economic front, data published by the Nationweide Building Society showed house prices in the U.K. gained only 0.1% in January, following a 0.7% rise in December. Economists had expected house prices to rise by 0.3% in January.

On yearly basis, house prices grew 4.1%, slower than the 4.7% rise in December. Prices were expected to climb 4.3%.

"The housing market continues to show resilience despite ongoing affordability pressures," Nationwide Chief Economist Robert Gardner said. Furthermore, the economist noted that house prices remain high relative to average earnings and the deposit hurdle remains high.

Capital Economics' economist Alex Kerr said higher mortgage rates started to weigh on prices. However, it won't last, he said.

Kerr expects the BoE to cut ts key rate from the current 4.75% to 3.5% in early 2026. This suggests that mortgage rates will fall from 4.6% in December to around 4% next year.

Kerr forecasts house prices to grow by an above-consensus 3.5% in the year to fourth quarter of 2025 and 4.5% in the year to fourth quarter of 2026.

Chicago Business Barometer Increases But Still Indicates Contraction

MNI Indicators released a report on Friday showing its reading on Chicago-area business activity increased in the month of January but continued to indicate contraction. The report said the Chicago business barometer rose to 39.5 in January from 36.9 in December, although a reading below 50 still indicates contraction. Economists had expected the index to climb to 40.0.

RTTNews | 6 시간 36 분 전

U.S. Consumer Price Growth Matches Estimates In December

The Commerce Department released a closely watched report on Friday showing consumer prices in the U.S. increased in line with economist estimates in the month of December. The report said the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose by 0.3 percent in December after inching up by 0.1 percent in November. The increase matched expectations.

RTTNews | 6 시간 45 분 전

Bay Street Likely To Open On Mixed Note

Canadian shares are likely to open on a mixed note on Friday with investors reacting to the nation's GDP data, and treading cautiously ahead of the February 1 deadline for the imposition of trade duties on Canada.

RTTNews | 7 시간 53 분 전

U.S. Consumer Prices Increase In Line With Estimates In December

The Commerce Department released a closely watched report on Friday showing consumer prices in the U.S. increased in line with economist estimates in the month of December.

RTTNews | 8 시간 3 분 전

Wall Street Looks Headed For Positive Start

Higher futures point to a firm start for U.S. stocks Friday morning, but data on the nation's personal consumption expenditure for the month of December holds the key for the market's trend.

RTTNews | 8 시간 25 분 전

Novartis Q4 Core EPS Beats Market, Hikes Dividend; Sees Growth In FY25; Stock Up

Swiss drug-major Novartis AG reported Friday weak net earnings in its fourth quarter on the absence of prior year's significant gain related to Sandoz Group AG spin-off. However, earnings from continuing operations grew from last year, and core earnings beat market estimates along with top line. Further, the company issued positive outlook for fiscal 2025 and lifted its dividend.

RTTNews | 8 시간 43 분 전

France Inflation Rises To 5-Month High

French inflation accelerated to a five-month high in January largely on energy and manufactured product prices, provisional data from the statistical office INSEE showed Friday. Consumer prices registered an annual increase of 1.4 percent in January, following December's 1.3 percent rise.

RTTNews | 9 시간 44 분 전

U.S. Dollar Rises Against Majors

The U.S. dollar strengthened against other major currencies in the European session on Friday.

RTTNews | 11 시간 10 분 전

EURUSD	1.03994	GBPUSD	1.24446	AUDUSD	0.6239
USDJPY	154.955	USDCAD	1.44642	USDCHF	0.90893