London stocks advanced on Friday as the pound fell following a retail sales reading that boosted expectations of a Bank of England interest rate cut next month, with the blue-chip FTSE 100 hitting all-time highs.

The Federal Reserve announced that it has withdrawn from the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System, which incorporated climate risk into financial rules.

The FTSE 100 fell on Monday amid continued market jitters over rising public borrowing costs, and as expectations for further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve were slashed ... recruitment firm Page Group revealed more role cuts as it said the ...

U.K. stocks are up firmly in positive territory Wednesday morning, outperforming other major markets in Europe, after data showed an

UK stocks make a comeback, as BoE rate cut bets soar.

Three major US banks are set to report -- JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, in that order. Their reports will be scoured not only for clues on the health of investment banking, but on the US economy.

Britain's FTSE 100 closed at a near eight-month high on Thursday, as investors cheered upbeat earnings and signs of cooling inflation that could keep major central banks on track for further interest rate cuts.

The UK's FTSE 100 dropped slightly due to declines in banking stocks, overshadowing energy gains. As investors anticipate economic data, domestic FTSE 250 also fell. Rising British yields and investor wariness over the Federal Reserve's actions contributed to market uncertainties.

Sterling has lost a cent against the US greenback, extending its recent losses and falling below $1.23 to its lowest level since November 2023. Biden blocked US Steel's $14 billion sale to Japanese giant Nippon Steel, creating new uncertainty for an iconic American steelmaker.

The exporter-heavy FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%, while the domestically focused FTSE 250 dropped 1.3% to a one-week low. Wall Street also came under pressure after upbeat economic data stoked uncertainty among investors about the pace of monetary policy easing by the Federal Reserve this year.

The FTSE 100 was up 1.1% as of 1034 GMT, hitting record highs and on track for a fourth straight weekly advance. Retail sales, adjusted for the inclusion of the Black Friday sales at the start of the month,

Reckitt Benckiser (LON: RKT) Group PLC (LSE:RKT, ETR:3RB) topped the risers in the meantime, ahead of the likes of InterContinental (LON: IHG) Hotels Group PLC and Persimmon PLC (LSE:PSN). Vodafone Group PLC (LSE:LON: VOD) has exited its stake in Indus Towers, raising US$330 million (£269 million).