The FTSE 100 is up 0.2% in early trading on Friday, after Thursday’s 1.7% fall. The FTSE 250 has risen 0.1%, while the DAX, CAC 40 and Stoxx 50 are all up 0.3% apiece.
Oil stays near $100 as Iran tensions linger
Brent crude is down 1.3% to $100.95, while US crude (WTI) has dropped 2.2% to $90.83. According to reports, US Presdient Donald Trump has sent 9,000 US troops to the Middle East and said Iran must sign a peace deal or it “won’t exist any longer”.
Tehran said it had received a US response to its proposal, with officials suggesting the differences are largely over the implementation timeline.
Meanwhile, spot gold has edged up 0.4% to $4,195, with silver rising 0.8% to $61.49. GBP has gained 0.2% against the US dollar to $1.3209.
Movers: IG Group, Wetherspoon, BT
IG Group, the retail trading platform, leads the FTSE 100 fallers, while telecoms names lead the risers.
| Company | Change |
|---|---|
| BT | +3.07% |
| Vodafone | +2.14% |
| Airtel Africa | +2.10% |
| IG Group | -24.94% |
| St James’s Place | -0.96% |
| Ithaca Energy | -0.72% |
IG said third-quarter revenue was about £240m, down roughly 14% from £280.1m, as the share of over-the-counter revenue it kept fell to about 70% from about 80%. It now expects 2026 revenue growth in the mid-single digits.
“Growth in first trades and active customers remained strong in Q3 2026. Lower Q3 revenue reflected reduced OTC revenue retention in less supportive market conditions, and I remain confident in meeting our medium-term guidance.”
Breon Corcoran, IG chief executive
Plus500 fell 10.42% and CMC Markets has dropped 7.45% following the IG report, with both among the top FTSE 250 fallers.
Elsewhere in the FTSE 250, Wetherspoon rose 8.18% after like-for-like sales grew 8.6% in the nine weeks to 27 September. Chairman Tim Martin said that was “helped, no doubt, by exceptional weather”.
Oxford Nanopore fell 2.43% as IP Group sold 10m shares for about £21m.
Meanwhile, Wizz Air reported its September 2026 traffic report, while AstraZeneca said it and Daiichi Sankyo have entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with Summit Therapeutics to evaluate Datroway in combination with ivonescimab across multiple tumour types including lung and breast cancers.