London, July 3, 2026, 18:03 BST
- FTSE 100 closed at 10,679.03, gaining 0.25%. FTSE 250 added 0.52% to end at 23,538.80.
- The FTSE 250 outpaced the FTSE 100 for the five-day period, rising 1.61% compared to a 1.47% gain, according to MarketScreener data.
- UK services PMI dropped to 48.8 in June. A Bank of England poll showed firms see prices rising 4.1% over the next year.
Mid-caps outperformed blue-chips in London on Friday, with more interest from domestic buyers. New services and pricing numbers did little to reassure about the UK economy. The FTSE 250 has heavier UK demand exposure than the FTSE 100, so the move up was mostly about traders going for rate-sensitive stocks, financials, contractors and some miners.
London trading was listed as closed on Hargreaves Lansdown’s market data pages, with the FTSE 250 up around two times as much as the FTSE 100.
| Index | Close | Friday change | Day range |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTSE 100 | 10,679.03 | up 0.25% | traded between 10,604.25 and 10,701.32 |
| FTSE 250 | 23,538.80 | gained 0.52% | moved from 23,416.29 to 23,559.12 |
| FTSE 350 | 5,799.38 | added 0.27% | range was 5,760.40 to 5,810.18 |
| FTSE All-Share | 5,735.46 | up 0.28% | traded between 5,697.24 and 5,745.97 |
Fidelity notes the FTSE 250 is made up of firms ranked 101 to 350 by size on the London Stock Exchange, and has fewer international names compared to the FTSE 100. The index outperformed Friday, with the more domestic-focused benchmark gaining despite a weaker reading in the latest services survey.
S&P Global’s UK services PMI dropped to 48.8 in June, down from 49.3 in May. It’s the lowest since January 2023. New work shrank at the fastest rate since November 2022, and the sector cut jobs for a 21st straight month. “June data confirmed a clear loss of momentum for the UK economy during the second quarter of 2026,” said Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Reuters
Rate cut odds stayed cloudy. The BoE’s Decision Maker Panel signaled firms see prices rising 4.1% in the next year, a touch higher than last month’s 4.0%. Pay growth expectations also ticked up to 3.5%. “A hawkish-tilting DMP survey will keep the MPC on track for an extended rate hold,” said Rob Wood, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. Reuters
FTSE 250 names moved sharply. Close Brothers Group (LON:CBG) topped the risers, up 7.90%. Johnson Matthey (LON:JMAT) was next, gaining 4.95%. In the FTSE 100, Lion Finance Group (LON:BGEO) put on 2.80%. Weir Group (LON:WEIR) climbed 2.62%, and Standard Chartered (LON:STAN) finished 1.53% higher.
| Segment | Stock | Friday move | Read-through |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTSE 250 financials | Close Brothers Group (LON:CBG) | +7.90% | Midcap financials outperformed |
| Chemicals | Johnson Matthey (LON:JMAT) | +4.95% | Reuters reported chemicals pushed higher after Chinese authorities cleared its sale of Catalyst Technologies to Honeywell International Inc. (NASDAQ:HON) |
| FTSE 100 financials | Lion Finance Group (LON:BGEO) | +2.80% | Financial names buoyed the FTSE 100 |
| Industrials/mining | Weir Group (LON:WEIR) | +2.62% | Cyclicals and miners found buyers |
| Precious metals | Fresnillo (LON:FRES) | +1.49% | Reuters said precious metal miners added 1.4% with gold up |
FTSE 100 ended the week higher, helped by gains in financial stocks, Reuters reported via MarketScreener. Gold’s move up drove precious metals miners, and the chemicals sector rose 2.5%. Johnson Matthey gained after Chinese authorities cleared its Catalyst Technologies sale.
Declines in some names took the edge off a risk-on mood. Entain (LON:ENT) lost 2.11%. Babcock International Group (LON:BAB) slipped 1.66%. DCC (LON:DCC) was down 1.62%. Games Workshop Group (LON:GAW) shed 1.58%, with Tesco (LON:TSCO) off 1.48%.
European stocks rose Friday, giving London a boost. The STOXX 600 finished up 0.7%, its best weekly gain since mid-May. Germany’s DAX set a new record high. “The tech-lite European indices are back in demand,” said David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation. Reuters
