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FTSE 100 Slightly Higher: Unemployment Climbs, Rolls-Royce Announces Interim Share Buyback Plan

The FTSE 100 edged 0.1% higher on Tuesday as investors weighed the latest economic data and company updates after US stocks closed lower on Monday.

FTSE.INDX

Across Europe, markets are subdued, with Germany’s DAX down 0.3% and France’s CAC 40 up 0.3%. The pan-European Stoxx 600 gained 0.2%.

Rolls-Royce was in focus after the aerospace and engineering group announced plans to buy back a further £200 million of its shares. 

The move follows the completion last month of this year’s £1 billion share repurchase programme and forms part of the £1.9 billion returned to shareholders in 2025. Rolls-Royce shares are down around 1.1%.

UK labour market data also drew attention. The unemployment rate rose to 5.1%, in line with expectations, marking its highest level since March 2021 and an increase from 5% in the previous month. 

Meanwhile, annual growth in average earnings excluding bonuses edged slightly above City forecasts, coming in at 4.6% in the three months to October, compared with 4.7% in the prior period.

Within the FTSE 100, easyJet led the gainers, rising 2.2%, followed by ConvaTec, up 2%, and Burberry, which added 1.7%. On the downside, BAE Systems fell 2.4%, Polar Capital Technology slid 2.1%, and Babcock International declined 1.7%.

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Sam Boughedda
Sam Boughedda
Team Member

Sam is a trader and lead stock market writer at AskTraders. After starting his career in the forex market, Sam now focuses on stocks, specifically consumer staples. 

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