FX.co ★ FTSE 100 Edges Up on Friday

The FTSE 100 edged higher on Friday, partially recovering from a 0.7% drop in the previous session, helped by rebounds in recently pressured shares and gains across banking and mining stocks. Companies previously hit by concerns over artificial intelligence disruption staged a recovery, with RELX climbing nearly 4% to lead the index and London Stock Exchange Group advancing more than 1%. Bank shares were also firmer, as NatWest rose 0.6% after reporting pretax profit ahead of forecasts and unveiling a £750 million share buyback planned for the first half of 2026. Defence stocks gained momentum after Western allies pledged up to $35 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine, pushing BAE Systems up 0.7% and Rolls-Royce 2% higher. In contrast, Entain slipped nearly 2%, tracking weakness in US peer DraftKings after it issued softer guidance.