FTSE 100 closes 0.3 percent higher at 10,722.07 points

Published on 10/29/2026 at 18:59 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

The FTSE 100 closed 0.3 percent higher at 10,722.07 points on October 29. Gains in Shell and WPP outweighed a steep decline in Haleon after its outlook cut.

London market closes higher

The FTSE 100 ended October 29 at 10,722.07 points, up 27.57 points, or 0.3 percent.
Shell gained after stronger quarterly earnings and a larger share buyback, while WPP rose after reaffirming its annual guidance.
Haleon fell sharply after lowering its 2026 organic revenue growth outlook to around 2.5 percent.
Investors also assessed unchanged interest rates from the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve.

FTSE 100, GB0001383545, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

The FTSE 100 ended Thursday's session higher as investors weighed corporate earnings, central-bank decisions and the latest signals from the UK government's Budget. The index closed at 10,722.07 points, up 27.57 points, or 0.3 percent, according to Alliance News via Morningstar.

Earnings shaped the session

Energy heavyweight Shell rose 2.1 percent after reporting adjusted third-quarter earnings of USD 10.81 billion, compared with USD 5.43 billion a year earlier. The company also increased its quarterly share-buyback programme. The result was supported by higher refining margins, stronger realised liquefied natural gas prices and higher volumes in its Integrated Gas business.

WPP advanced 5.4 percent after reiterating its annual guidance. The advertising group reported third-quarter revenue of GBP 3.27 billion, up 0.5 percent year on year, while revenue less pass-through costs fell 2.0 percent on a reported basis.

Haleon moved sharply in the opposite direction, falling 15 percent after cutting its full-year organic revenue growth outlook to around 2.5 percent from a previous range of 3 percent to 5 percent. The company said third-quarter sales rose 2.5 percent to GBP 2.87 billion, but organic growth of 2.6 percent was below market expectations.

Rate decisions remained in focus

The European Central Bank left its deposit facility rate at 2.50 percent, its main refinancing rate at 2.65 percent and its marginal lending rate at 2.90 percent. The ECB warned that higher energy prices posed upside risks to inflation while weighing on economic growth. The decision came as President Christine Lagarde announced plans to step down on February 7, 2027.

The Federal Reserve had also left US interest rates unchanged on Wednesday. During Thursday's London session, investors additionally monitored a weaker performance in Alphabet shares after its results raised concerns about free cash flow and the cost of artificial-intelligence investment.

Next session comes with fresh earnings

The FTSE 100's next trading day will bring results from NatWest, BP and AstraZeneca, according to the London market close report. Those releases may provide fresh signals on the strength of earnings across banking, energy and pharmaceuticals. The index's performance remains sensitive to the interaction between corporate results, energy prices and expectations for future interest-rate decisions.

More FTSE 100 market coverage is available on the FTSE 100 topic page.