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London Stocks Set for Weekly Gain as Oil, Yields Retreat

Oct 9 (Reuters) - London shares rose on ​Friday as easing oil prices and a retreat in gilt yields ‌lifted sentiment, putting the main UK indexes on track to end a volatile week with modest gains.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.7% to 10,516.25 points by 1045 GMT, ​while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 1.2%.

  • Oil prices eased after U.S. ​President Donald Trump said Washington would not attack Iran before ⁠next month's U.S. elections, amid what he described as productive talks to ​end a war that has disrupted global energy markets

  • British government bond yields also ​retreated, with 10- and 30-year gilt yields easing after hitting fresh multi-decade highs earlier this week

  • For the week, the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 were set to post small ​advances, recovering from volatile trading driven by higher oil prices and renewed ​concerns over inflation, borrowing costs and the outlook for interest rates

  • Shares in Airtel Money opened flat ‌in ⁠their London debut on Friday, a steady start to one of London's biggest listings in years after a heavily oversubscribed offer

  • Airtel Money's stock opened at £1.96, on par with its IPO price

  • Telecom stocks were among the biggest decliners after ​SpaceX's deal to acquire a ​nationwide portfolio ⁠of low-band spectrum licences, paving the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major US telecom operator

  • Vodafone, Airtel Africa  ​and BT Group fell between 2.5% and 5.4%, making them ​the FTSE ⁠100's weakest performers

  • On the FTSE 250, SSP Group, owner of the Upper Crust chain, fell 4% after forecasting annual operating profit slightly below its previous expectations

  • Morgan Advanced ⁠Materials ​rose 8.7% after RBC Capital Markets upgraded the ​chip-components supplier and lifted its price target, citing the sale of its Thermal Products unit and ​greater exposure to higher-margin aerospace and defence markets

Reporting by Ragini Mathur in Bengaluru

Source: Reuters


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