FTSE 100 Rises On Fairly Strong PMI Data

(RTTNews) - U.K.'s benchmark index FTSE 100 is up firmly in positive territory Tuesday morning, lifted by strong gains in energy and mining stocks. Investors are also reacting to some corporate news, and digesting the latest batch of economic data.

The FTSE 100 was up 70.78 points or 0.71% at 10,075.35 nearly half an hour before noon.

Sainsbury (J), NEXT, Rentokil Initial and Babcock International are gaining 2.4 to 2.7%. Retailer NEXT jumped after upgrading its profit guidance, forecasting after-tax earnings of 738.8 pence per share, above market expectations, following a more than 10% surge in sales in December.

British insurance and investment giant Prudential moved up sharply after launching a $1.2bn share buyback program.

Tesco and Airtel Africa are up nearly 2%. Rolls-Royce Holdings, BAE Systems, GSK, Associated British Foods, Shell, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Diploma, National Grid, SSE, United Utilities, AstraZeneca, Prudential and Centrica are gaining 1 to 1.8%.

JS Sports Fashion tumbled 5.6%. DCC, Spirax Group, Metlen Energy & Metals, Entain, Croda International and Schroders lost 2 to 3%.

Auto Trader Group, IHG, Mondi, Burberry Group, RightMove, Halma, Experian and Relx are also notably lower.

Data from S&P Global showed the UK S&P Global Composite PMI was at 51.4 in December of 2025, inching higher from 51.2 in the previous month but revised sharply lower from the preliminary estimate of 52.1. The result reflected the eighth consecutive period of expansion in the British private sector activity. The Services PMI came in at 51.4 compared to 51.3 in November, while the manufacturing PMI rose to 50.6 from 50.2.

Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited showed new car sales in the UK increased by 3.9% year on year to 146,249 units in December 2025, rebounding from the 1.6% decline in November.