Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 13, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 13, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleFTSE indexes steady amid AI concerns; defence stocks rise. Tech, life insurers, and banks face losses, while NatWest reports profit increase.
Feb 13 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 locked in a third straight week of gains on Friday, as corporate takeovers and expectations of monetary policy easing helped counter global concerns about AI's disruptive potential on a swathe of industries.
The blue‑chip FTSE 100 rose 0.4%, hovering below record highs touched on Thursday. The FTSE 250 mid‑cap index gained 0.5%, securing its first weekly rise after two consecutive weeks of losses.
A burst of new AI tool releases since late January has fuelled volatility in global markets, as investors weighed the threat newer models pose to traditional businesses.
INVESTORS CHEER M&A DEALS
London-listed credit analytics firm Experian, exchange operator London Stock Exchange Group, information group RELX, which were among the worst-hit stocks in the global selloff, rebounded on Friday.
Investors have cheered major M&A deals this week, including a U.S. buyout of fund manager Schroders and NatWest Group's plans to buy wealth manager Evelyn Partners.
The week also saw data that showed Britain's 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.
Investors are pricing in a 63.4% chance that the Bank of England will lower borrowing costs by 25 basis points when it meets in March.
BoE Chief Economist Huw Pill, however, warned underlying inflation was still running near 2.5% and said rates must remain restrictive until disinflation is firmly secured.
Among other stock movers, NatWest reported a 24% jump in annual profit, just ahead of forecasts, and set more ambitious performance targets as it steps up investment in Britain's costly but potentially lucrative wealth management market.
However, the bank's shares fell 2.5% following a strong run last year.
Defence stocks got a lift, adding 3.1% after a report that Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to push a multinational defence initiative at the Munich Security Conference this weekend.
(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Alex Richardson)
The FTSE 100 is a stock market index that represents the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, based on market capitalization.
Defence stocks are shares in companies that manufacture weapons, military equipment, or provide services to the defense sector.
Market volatility refers to the rate at which the price of securities increases or decreases for a given set of returns, indicating the level of risk in the market.
Artificial intelligence in finance refers to the use of algorithms and machine learning to analyze data, automate processes, and enhance decision-making in financial services.
Economic growth is the increase in the production of goods and services in an economy over a period of time, often measured by GDP.
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