Finance
FTSE 100 notches record close on US-EU trade deal optimism, earnings boost
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
FTSE 100 hits record close on US-EU trade deal optimism and earnings boost. Key sectors like healthcare and media see gains, while miners decline.
(Reuters) -Britain's FTSE 100 rose on Thursday to a record close, boosted by upbeat corporate results and optimism over a potential EU-U.S. trade agreement.
The benchmark FTSE 100 closed up 0.9% at 9,138.37 points. The domestically oriented midcap FTSE 250 gained 0.6%.
The personal care and grocery stores index led sectoral gains, up 2.6%, boosted by Reckitt, up 9.9%, after the consumer goods company raised its annual revenue forecast.
Healthcare stocks rose 1.9% with AstraZeneca up 2.1% after the drugmaker's rare immune disorder drug succeeded in an advanced trial.
GSK added 1.4% after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday extended its review of the drugmaker's blood cancer drug.
Media stocks advanced 2.3%, led by ITV, which rose 13.3% after the broadcaster's half-year results beat forecasts.
Conversely, precious metal miners fell 1.4%, tracking a drop in gold prices. Endeavour Mining fell 1.3%, and Fresnillo was down 2.1%.
In company news, BT Group advanced 10.4%, topping the FTSE 100 index, after the telecom firm named Patricia Cobian as its first female chief financial officer.
Howden Joinery soared 8.9% after reporting a rise in first-half profit.
Vodafone gained 3.4% after reporting a 5.5% increase in organic service revenue in the first quarter.
Airtel Africa soared 7.3% after posting higher quarterly results.
Anglo American's copper and diamond production fell in the first half of the year. Shares of the miner edged 0.9% down.
BP will exit its planned green hydrogen production facility in Australia as it pivots back to oil and gas, a spokesperson said. Shares of the energy major were down 1.7%.
Meanwhile, an EU spokesperson signalled that a U.S.-EU deal was within reach, which would result in broad 15% import tariffs on the 27-member bloc.
Additionally, surveys showed British companies are struggling to grow and the job market continues to weaken, but inflation pressures are still lurking in the economy.
A Reuters poll showed the Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates in August and November with steady economic growth anticipated.
Britain and India also signed a free trade agreement.
(Reporting by Sukriti Gupta; Editing by Sahal Muhammed and Ed Osmond)
The FTSE 100 rose to a record close due to upbeat corporate results and optimism over a potential EU-U.S. trade agreement.
The personal care and grocery stores index led gains, up 2.6%, while healthcare stocks rose 1.9%.
A Reuters poll indicated that the Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates in August and November, anticipating steady economic growth.
BT Group topped the FTSE 100 index with a 10.4% increase after naming Patricia Cobian as its first female chief financial officer.
Surveys show that British companies are struggling to grow, and the job market is weakening, although inflation pressures remain in the economy.
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