Friday Morning Markets: FTSE 100 Slips as Miners Weigh, GBG Shares Plunge

The FTSE 100 has dipped 0.1% in early trading on Friday, weighed down by declines across the mining sector, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 has added 0.3%.

European peers are mixed-to-firmer, with Germany’s DAX up 0.6%, the CAC 40 flat, and the Stoxx 50 rising 0.2%.

Continued tensions in the Middle East have pushed oil higher, with Brent crude up 1.6% to $88.46 and WTI gaining 1.9% to $82.81.

Spot gold has slipped 0.4% to $4,333. Attention later turns to US retail sales data, a key gauge of consumer resilience.

Risers: Sage Group (+4.33%), Experian (+3.63%) and Autotrader (+3.12%) lead the FTSE 100.

In the FTSE 250, Michael Page (+7.08%) has jumped, while XP Power (+4.50%) and Trustpilot (+3.91%) have also advanced.

Fallers: Mining stocks dominate the downside as metals prices softened, with Antofagasta (-3.99%), Fresnillo (-2.16%) and Glencore (-2.14%) all lower.

However, the standout faller is GB Group, down over 23% after warning that FY27 revenue growth would slow to just 1-3%, versus previous mid-single-digit guidance, citing higher-than-expected customer attrition in its Americas Identity business. Chief Revenue Officer Tom Schutz has departed as a result.

Elsewhere, Ceres Power (-3.22%), Hochschild Mining (-2.87%) and Atalaya Mining (-2.60%) also slipped.

In corporate news, Aviva posted its half-year results, declaring a 14.0p interim dividend, while Diversified Energy confirmed early-stage talks over a possible acquisition of Birch Resources, sending shares modestly higher.

It was reported on Thursday that a hacking group claimed it had stolen large amounts of data from almost 50 companies globally, including Philips, Shell, Fiserv and GE, according to ‌a post on the group’s website.

Luxury department store Harvey Nichols has been bought by Frasers Group.

Cohort announced that it has been awarded a contract with a value of €140.7 million.