Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 29, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 29, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleFTSE 100 rose 0.5% as financial and commodity stocks gained. 3i Group led with a 10.5% surge. Mining stocks hit record highs amid strong gold prices.
Jan 29 (Reuters) - London's blue-chip index ended higher Thursday, led by financial and energy stocks, as investors parsed a mixed bag of corporate results.
The FTSE 100 closed up 0.2%, after hitting a record high earlier in the session. Meanwhile, the domestically focused FTSE 250 bucked the trend, falling 0.5%.
Investment company 3i Group surged 8.8% to lead the gainers on the FTSE 100 after it delivered a strong third-quarter update. That made the investment banks and brokerages index among the session's top performers, rising 3%.
Banking shares rebounded from Wednesday's losses, and were up 0.5%. Lloyds Banking Group rose 0.1% after the bank reported a better-than-expected 12% rise in annual profit.
Energy stocks also advanced 2.1%, supported by higher oil prices amid rising concerns that a U.S. strike on Iran could disrupt supply. [O/R]
On the trade front, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and China's President Xi Jinping hailed a reset of ties, pledging to build an economic partnership with deals including a major investment by AstraZeneca. The pharmaceutical giant's shares were marginally down on the day.
Back in the markets, Antofagasta rose 2.1% after copper scaled a new peak amid a broad metals rally. The industrial metal miners index climbed 1% to its highest level in one year.
Wall Street's indexes hit a one-week low as another wave of hefty AI spending from U.S. Big Tech rattled investors.
Among other UK stocks, Wizz Air rose 11% after the budget carrier posted a smaller-than-expected third-quarter loss.
(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed and Hugh Lawson)
The FTSE 100 is a stock market index that represents the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, based on market capitalization.
Commodity stocks are shares of companies that produce or deal in raw materials such as metals, oil, and agricultural products, often influenced by commodity prices.
A corporate earnings report is a quarterly or annual financial statement that provides information about a company's profitability, revenue, and expenses.
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