London stocks open higher as Smith+Nephew shines; set for weekly gains

The UK’s FTSE 100 opened higher on Friday and was on track for weekly gains, buoyed by the gains in medical products...
03 Nov, 2023

The UK’s FTSE 100 opened higher on Friday and was on track for weekly gains, buoyed by the gains in medical products maker Smith+Nephew shares on a rating upgrade, while Bank of England’s (BOE) decision to hold interest rates also lifted sentiment.

The exporter-focused FTSE 100 was up 0.3% at 8:10 GMT, on track to mark its biggest weekly gains in seven weeks.

The BoE held rates at a 15-year peak of 5.25% on Thursday and said it did not expect to cut them any time soon.

The industrial metal miners added 1.2% as copper prices rose on a weaker dollar.

UK’s FTSE 100 muted at open, BP tumbles

The medical equipment and services index climbed 1.8% to lead sectoral gains, lifted by a 2.5% rise in Smith+Nephew after broker JP Morgan raised the stock to “Overweight” from “Neutral”.

The mid-cap FTSE 250 gained 0.5% and was set for its biggest weekly gains in a year with a 5.9% jump.

Currys jumped 5.8% after the British electricals retailer agreed to sell its Greek business Kotsovolos to Public Power Corporation for an enterprise value of 175 million pounds ($214 million).

The broader reatilers index advanced 0.3% on the news.

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