PrintUK's FTSE 100 rises on banking gains as investors eye US Fed decision
BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 01/27/26 06:56 AM EST(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window)
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FTSE 100 up 0.6%, FTSE 250 flat
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Bank index reaches highest level since May 2008
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Dr Martens
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PM Starmer ?heads to China to repair ties
Jan 27 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 gained on Tuesday, led by advances ?in heavyweight banking stocks, as investors geared up for a slew of corporate ?earnings and the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate decision later ?this week.
The bank index ?was up 2.2%, climbing to its
highest level since May 2008, with HSBC Holdings
The blue-chip FTSE 100? was up 0.6% at 11:19 GMT, while the more UK-focused FTSE 250 was little changed.
Mining shares ?retreated from recent highs, with ?the precious metal ?index and industrial metal miners falling 2.2% and 0.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will fly to China on Tuesday evening in the first ?visit by a British leader to the Asian country in eight years, seeking to mend ties with the world's second-largest economy and reduce Britain's dependence on an increasingly unpredictable U.S. Trade concerns persist after U.S. President Donald Trump's recent threats to hike tariffs on South Korean imports, prompting investors to look towards ?upcoming corporate ?earnings for clearer signals on business conditions.
Also on investors' minds is the Fed's policy meeting, due to
begin on Tuesday and end ?with a policy update on Wednesday, with
most investors expecting the U.S. central bank to hold interest
rates steady.
Separately, all but two economists polled by Reuters still
expect the Bank of England to cut its interest rate to 3.50% in
February.
Meanwhile, data showed prices at British retailers rose at their
fastest pace since February 2024 this month, led ?by a pick-up in
food, furniture, health and beauty product costs.
Among notable movers, shares of Dr. Martens
