UK's FTSE 100 poised for longest monthly winning streak in over 12 years

Fri, 30th Jan 2026 12:16

Jan 30 (Reuters) -

Heavyweight banking stocks led London's FTSE ‍100 higher on Friday, putting the index on track for a seventh consecutive month ⁠of gains, while investors assessed the appointment of Kevin Warsh as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The blue-chip index rose 0.3% by 1157 GMT, poised for its longest monthly winning streak in over 12 years. It was also on course for weekly gains after logging losses last week.

The domestically focused FTSE 250 was flat on Friday, but it was on track to close both the week and month in positive territory.

The ‍banking sub-index climbed 3.5% for the week and about 5.3% for the month. ‌It was up 1.2% on the day with Lloyds and Investec rising 2% and 1.4%, respectively.

Credit analytics firm Experian climbed ‌3.7% to the top of the FTSE 100 after unveiling a new $1 billion share buyback program.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had chosen former Federal Reserve governor ‌Kevin Warsh to head the U.S. central bank.

Precious metals miners fell 4.4%, as gold tumbled over 4% amid earlier speculation that the Fed could get a more hawkish chair. The sub-index has gained roughly 20% this month.

Industrial metal miners also declined 2.5% on the day.

Geopolitical tensions resurfaced as ⁠Trump warned it was "dangerous" for Britain to deepen ‍business ties with Beijing, even as Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded the economic benefits of resetting UK-China relations during his Friday visit to the country.

On the economic front, British business confidence ⁠weakened in January as global economic optimism slid to a one-year low, even though firms grew more upbeat about their own activity and hiring plans, a Lloyds survey showed. (Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)