LONDON, June 26, 2026, 18:01 BST
- FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) finished 21.87 points lower, or 0.2%, at 10,508.02. The FTSE 250 (INDEXFTSE:MCX) slipped 14.22 points, or 0.1%, ending at 23,147.19.
- For the week, FTSE 100 added 1.4%. FTSE 250 dipped 0.2%, and AIM All-Share dropped 3.4%.
- Energy names and banks pulled lower, while precious-metals miners moved up as gold prices climbed. Wise Group shares jumped on its results and news of a buyback.
- Brent crude slid over 4%, sending BP LON:BP lower and making it one of the top FTSE 100 losers.
The main session on the London Stock Exchange closed after the regular 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST trading window. This report was filed at 18:01 BST in London.
FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) fell on Friday. For the week, the division was clearer: big firms with global sales finished up 1.4%, while FTSE 250 (INDEXFTSE:MCX), which leans domestic, slipped. The FTSE 100 is still running more on overseas earnings, gold and defensives than faith in UK demand.
The blue-chip index slipped 0.21% to close at 10,508.02. The day’s range was 10,404.73 to 10,530.18. Even with the drop on Friday, it’s still trading about 4% below its record high from February at 10,934.94.
London’s stock market slipped as major banks and energy stocks moved lower, Reuters said. The banks index dropped 1.4%. Automakers slid 3.9%. Chemicals also slipped, down 3%. Gold miners rose 2.5% as gold prices climbed.
Brent crude slid 4.52% to $71.86 a barrel on ICE as traders priced out some risk from Strait of Hormuz shipping. Shell LON:SHEL shares dropped over 0.9%. BP was lower by 2.38% at 469.40 pence.
FTSE’s defensive tone stands out in latest drop, Patrick Munnelly at TickMill said, but tech selling still hit London cyclicals and energy stocks. “The tone was defensive rather than panicked,” he said, noting the FTSE’s limited direct exposure to tech. HL
AI jitters showed up in London trading, but not because the FTSE 100 is heavy on tech stocks. Alliance News pointed to a New York Times story saying OpenAI could push its IPO back to 2027. Stephen Innes at SPI Investment Management said, “The AI buildout is rapidly becoming a new source of cost pressure across the economy.” Shareprices
Wise Group (LON:WISE; NASDAQ:WSE) jumped 9.6% after the company reported a 21% increase in active customers to 18.9 million, and a 31% surge in cross-border volume to $243.5 billion for fiscal 2026. Wise also announced a new share purchase programme that it expects will top $500 million.
Wise CEO Kristo Käärmann said the company is still focused on “the network for the world’s money.” Net revenue climbed 19% to $2.5 billion, while income before tax was $660.4 million. Investegate
Endeavour Mining (LON:EDV) topped the FTSE 100 gainers, climbing 2.91% to 3,852 pence. Coca-Cola HBC LON:CCH, Sage Group (LON:SGE), Burberry (LON:BRBY), and Reckitt Benckiser LON:RKT also made the leaderboard. Croda International (LON:CRDA) dropped the most, off 4.88% at 3,020 pence. Whitbread (LON:WTB), Airtel Africa (LON:AAF), Polar Capital Technology Trust (LON:PCT), and BP rounded out the top decliners.
Defensive stocks found buyers. British American Tobacco LON:BATS climbed 1.1% and Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) was up 0.8%. Tesco LON:TSCO gained 1.1%. J Sainsbury LON:SBRY rose 1.5%. BAT said it will launch a new buyback starting next Tuesday and finishing July 29.
Housebuilders slipped after reports said Andy Burnham could push for a single annual property tax to replace council tax and stamp duty if he becomes Britain’s next prime minister after Keir Starmer steps down. Barratt Redrow (LON:BTRW) dropped 1.3%. Persimmon (LON:PSN) was down 1.7% and Berkeley Group (LON:BKG) gave up 3.6%.
Sterling held steady at $1.3216 late Friday, close to $1.3213 from the day before. Against the euro, the pound slipped to 1.1588 from 1.1604 euros. The US 10-year Treasury yield was down at 4.37%, after 4.39% Thursday.
