Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 12, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 12, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleFTSE 100 hit a new peak as Schroders surged after a buyout by Nuveen. UK economic data showed minimal growth, influencing market movements.
Feb 12 (Reuters) - The UK's FTSE 100 closed lower on Thursday, as a risk-off mood in global markets offset a nearly 30% surge in shares of money manager Schroders after it agreed to a takeover by U.S. firm Nuveen.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed down 0.7%, slipping off the record high it hit earlier in the day. The FTSE 250 mid-cap index was down 0.4%.
Wall Street was a hit by a renewed selloff on AI concerns, with the main indexes falling more than 1%.
Schroders' shares jumped as much as 28.5% to their highest in more than four years after U.S. asset manager Nuveen agreed to buy the company for 9.9 billion pounds ($13.5 billion) in one of Europe's largest fund management deals.
Broader macro signals were also in focus as Britain's GDP showed the economy grew just 0.1% in the fourth quarter, matching the previous quarter's pace and partly reflecting uncertainty in the run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves' November budget.
Thursday's figures, which showed a sharp downward revision to monthly GDP and a nearly 3% drop in business investment driven by volatile transport outlays, underscored why investors see the Bank of England as more likely than not to cut rates again in March.
Among other movers, British American Tobacco dropped 0.4% after announcing job cuts and full-year results.
Shares of pest‑control firm Rentokil Initial fell 6.8% as U.S. peer Rollins missed Wall Street estimates for fourth‑quarter revenue and earnings.
(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Cynthia Osterman)
The FTSE 100 is an index that represents the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, reflecting the performance of the UK stock market.
Stock markets are platforms where shares of publicly traded companies are bought and sold, allowing investors to trade ownership in these companies.
A buyout occurs when one company acquires a controlling interest in another company, often resulting in significant changes in management and operations.
An investment portfolio is a collection of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, and other securities held by an individual or institution.
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