UK’s main stock indexes rose on Friday as easing US bond yields and crude prices offered investors some relief at the end of a rough week for global markets.
The exporter-heavy FTSE 100 index rose 0.3% in early trade, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 index was up 0.2%.
Global stock markets have come under pressure this week as a surge in oil prices raised concerns about persistent price pressures and US economic data fed into worries that interest rates will remain higher for longer even as data from elsewhere in the world disappointed.
On Friday, oil prices dipped about 0.5% and US yields retreated.
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Investors also took comfort from a Bank of England survey on Thursday showing businesses were planning for their lowest price rises since February 2022, which could propel a slowdown in inflation.
Inflation-sensitive stocks such as retailers rose 1.0%, leading sectoral gains. Shares of Berkeley Group Holdings declined 0.1% after the house-builder joined sector peers in highlighting a gloomy trading environment in the face of rising interest rates and wider macro economic concerns.
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