In corporate news, retailer JD Sports Fashion said it expected full-year profits to be within guidance of £915-935m and said the current year would be "challenging" due to less product innovation and more discounting, but forecast this to moderate with the Paris Olympics and European football finals in the summer.
JD Sports was down 4% after Nike (NYSE:NKE) warned that its revenue in the first half of fiscal 2025 would shrink by a low single-digit percentage as the world's largest sportswear maker scaled back on franchises to save costs.
(Reuters) - The UK's FTSE 100 inched up on Friday as investors continued to cheer the dovish tilt in the Bank of England's monetary policy, while insurer Phoenix Group led gains after its annual results.