2026.01.2208:31:36UTC+00FTSE 100 Trades Higher on Thursday

On Thursday, the FTSE 100 index experienced an uptick of over 0.5%, regaining some of its recent losses. This improvement in market sentiment followed President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw a tariff threat concerning Greenland. Trump announced that he would not move forward with imposing tariffs on European nations that were opposed to his plans to acquire Greenland, thereby alleviating concerns about potential trade disputes. Furthermore, Trump mentioned that a framework for a future agreement was discussed during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, though specific details were not disclosed.

The majority of sectors saw positive performance. Within the realm of individual stocks, ABF recorded an increase of nearly 1%, having reaffirmed its full-year outlook despite experiencing a decline in like-for-like sales at Primark during the first quarter. Conversely, B&M saw a decrease of nearly 3% after revising its guidance downward once more and announcing plans for increased investment to rejuvenate the business.

In economic data, the UK public sector budget deficit was reported to have narrowed to £11.6 billion in December, which was lower than anticipated and significantly reduced from the figure a year earlier.