FTSE 100 Live: Wall Street karıştıkça FTSE 100 kayıyor

FTSE 100 Live: FTSE 100 slides as Wall Street turns mixed

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Fri, September 18, 2026 at 9:08 AM GMT+3 16 min read

• FTSE 100 remains under heavy selling pressure

• US markets turn mixed

• US industrial production unchanged in August

• Gold rises to a one-week high

3:15pm: Dow slips immediately

The Dow Jones Industrial Average came under selling pressure immediately after the open, slipping into negative territory within minutes and trading 0.06% lower at 51,744 by 9:31am ET.

3:00pm: London stocks remain under pressure

Post afternoon, the FTSE 100 continues to be under significantly heavier selling pressure than the FTSE 250, falling 134.56 points, or 1.24%, to 10,681.58, compared with a 0.35% decline in the mid-cap index.

The FTSE 100 is also bearing the brunt of Friday's profit-taking, while the slight decline in the FTSE 250 indicates that selling pressure is less broad-based across UK equities.

US markets opened slightly higher despite flat industrial production in August.

The Nasdaq is leading the charge.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 48.7 points, or 0.09%, at the open to 51,826.78, while the S&P 500 gained 19.4 points, or 0.25%, to 7,657.17.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 103.8 points, or 0.39%, to 26,522.09, with technology stocks leading the early gains.

US industrial production was unchanged in August after rising 0.2% in July, while manufacturing output fell 0.3%. This was below market expectations.

Year on year, total industrial production was 1.4% for August 2026.

Total industrial production stood at 103.1% of its 2017 average in August, 1.4% higher than a year earlier, while capacity utilisation remained unchanged at 76.3%.

A stronger-than-expected industrial production reading is generally positive for the US dollar, as it can signal stronger economic activity and support expectations for corporate earnings.

The crypto market is showing strong gains among several altcoins, with Gravity, NEAR Protocol and Arbitrum among the biggest daily risers, while Bitcoin remains the dominant asset by market capitalisation.

The sector got a boost yesterday after the Securities and Exchange Commission introduced new rules aimed at easing regulatory uncertainty.

Gold prices rose to a one-week high on Friday and were heading for their first weekly gain in four weeks as falling oil prices eased inflation concerns, although a stronger US dollar capped the advance.

Spot gold rose 0.7% to $4,372.27 an ounce, after reaching its highest level since 11 September earlier in the session, leaving it 0.6% higher for the week.

US gold futures gained 0.3% to $4,411.20.

2:00pm: It's still sell

The FTSE 100 is bearing the brunt of the selling, falling 1.05% to 10,702.78, while the FTSE 250 is down just 0.22% at 24,297.37.

The widening gap shows the large-cap shares are facing substantially heavier pressure than mid-caps, consistent with the weakness in banks and energy stocks that has been weighing on the FTSE 100.

US stock futures are pointing to a modestly firmer Wall Street open, with Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.15% at 29,786.50.

The tone remains cautious rather than strongly bullish, with investors weighing lower oil prices and easing inflation concerns against the Federal Reserve's latest rate increase and signals that borrowing costs could remain high.

Best of the brokers

Panmure Liberum: Wizz Air (Wizz Air Holdings PLC (AIM:WIZZ)) 'sell' maintained, target raised to 700p from 600p

RBC Capital Markets: Vistry Group (Vistry Group PLC (LSE:VTY)) 'underperform' maintained, 180p target vs 271.6p share price

Deutsche Bank: Wickes (Wickes Group PLC (LSE:WIX)) upgraded to 'hold' from 'sell', target raised to 210p from 165p

Cavendish: Mothercare forecasts for FY2028/29 withdrawn; 7p target under review due to uncertain outlook, current year forecasts retained

1:00pm: London indices down

The FTSE 100 is down 0.91%, almost 99 points, showing that selling pressure remains.

The FTSE 250 has slipped into negative territory, falling 4.27 points, or just 0.02%, to 24,347 after being marginally higher earlier.

This suggests the earlier resilience in mid-cap shares has faded.

The FTSE 250's leading risers remain concentrated in technology, growth and industrial stocks, although the index as a whole has slipped marginally into negative territory.

Ocado Group PLC (LSE:OCDO) leads the group, rising 5.5%, while Trustpilot Group PLC (LSE:TRST), Raspberry Pi Holdings PLC (LSE:RPI) and Oxford Nanopore Technologies PLC (LSE:ONT) all gain more than 4%, pointing to strong buying across technology and digitally focused growth stocks.

Hill & Smith Holdings PLC (LSE:HILS), Kier Group PLC (LSE:KIE) and Avon Technologies PLC (LSE:AVON) are also up more than 3%, adding industrial, infrastructure and defence exposure to the advance.

US markets face a busy final session of the week later on Friday, with US industrial production data, Federal Reserve officials' speeches and fresh positioning data due to shape expectations for economic growth and interest rates.

The industrial production figures will provide a reading on activity across the manufacturing, mining and utilities sectors, while comments from Fed policymakers could offer further clues on the path for monetary policy.

Investors will also assess the weekly Commitments of Traders data, which tracks speculative positions across major futures markets including crude oil, gold, copper and US equity indices.

The releases come after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates earlier this week, making policymakers' comments particularly relevant as markets assess the prospect of further tightening.

Corporate America's earnings strength is not a bubble, says Goldman Sachs strategist David Snider as quoted in a Bloomberg report.

He highlights that profits at S&P 500 firms surged roughly 30% in the first two quarters of 2026, among the strongest results on record.

The boom is fueled by a resilient economic outlook and artificial intelligence growth.

Full-year expectations are the highest since the post-Covid rebound in 2021, suggesting fears of unsustainable earnings are misplaced.

Brent crude futures fell 1.5% to $103.22 a barrel on Friday afternoon, extending their decline for a third session as expectations of a partial recovery in Saudi oil supplies eased concerns over disruptions.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to restore about half the capacity of its damaged East-West pipeline within days, with full operations expected to resume within roughly six weeks, according to reports.

GBP/USD is trading at $1.33454, down 0.10%, showing that sterling remains under pressure against the dollar despite stronger-than-expected UK retail sales.

The move keeps the pound close to a seven-week low, with the pair having fallen sharply earlier in the week as the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates while the Bank of England held its rate at 3.75%.

Sterling is stabilising after a sharp weekly sell-off, but the pound remains vulnerable while the dollar benefits from expectations of tighter US monetary policy.

Gold is up 0.37% at 4,376.44, extending its rebound after a sharp sell-off earlier in the week. Gold has now reached around a one week high.

The move is consistent with the broader recovery in bullion, with lower oil prices easing inflation concerns and a retreat in Treasury yields reducing some of the pressure

12:00noon: FTSE 250 up

London's FTSE 100 pulled back from a more than one-week high on Friday, weighed down by banks and energy stocks.

The blue chip index is down 73 points or 0.7% at 10,743, extending its retreat after Thursday's 1.2% rally, while the FTSE 250 has edged 14 points or 0.1% higher to 24,367.

The midcap FTSE 250's move into positive territory suggests selling pressure is less pronounced further down the market.

Nasdaq 100 futures led Wall Street higher on Friday, putting the tech-heavy index on course for weekly gains as falling oil prices eased inflation concerns.

Nasdaq 100 futures rose 144.25 points, or 0.5%, to 29,887.25.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.B) announced on Friday that Warren Buffett has been named chairman emeritus with immediate effect, according to Reuters.

Howard Buffett, who has been a Berkshire director since 1993, succeeds his father in the role.

11:00am: London stocks slide continues

Global shares and bonds continue to fall in mid-morning sessions on Friday.

European markets are trading lower, with the FTSE 100 down 80 points at 10,735 and the FTSE 250 falling 33 points to 24,319.

But the FTSE AIM All-Share is outperforming the main UK indices, rising 0.6% to 798 points.

The gain suggests that investor appetite for smaller, growth-oriented companies is holding up better than sentiment towards larger UK-listed stocks, for now.

The yen headed for its biggest daily fall since mid-February.

The pound edged higher on Friday after figures showed UK retail sales unexpectedly rose 0.5% in August, adding to recent stronger-than-expected data that has increased pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates.

The eurozone's current account surplus narrowed to €27.6 billion in July from €35.1 billion in June, according to European Central Bank data released on Friday.

Reuters reports the surplus stood at 1.7% of eurozone GDP in the 12 months to July, down from 1.9% a year earlier.

Small caps

Mothercare PLC (LSE:MTC) has warned that its longer-term solvency is "highly uncertain" after its largest Middle Eastern franchise partner said it expects to close most of its Mothercare stores in the region during 2027.

The retailer said the closures would materially reduce its order book for the 2028 financial year, resulting in lower revenue, profit and cash flow.

Nativo Resources PLC (AIM:NTVO, FRA:A3Z) has secured funding to take its La Patona gold processing plant in Peru through construction and into production, with commissioning targeted for the second quarter of 2027.

The package comprises US$3.5 million in project finance from Chancery Royalty and a £600,000 equity subscription, with the project finance due to be advanced in seven monthly US$500,000 instalments from no later than 31 December 2026, subject to definitive documentation.

Tertiary Minerals PLC (AIM:TYM, OTC:TTIRF, FRA:TMU) has identified a roughly 400-metre-long higher-grade silver-copper-zinc zone at its Mushima North project in Zambia, with drilling showing mineralisation extending beyond the current Exploration Target and remaining open at depth.

Taboola, the New York-listed online advertising company, has agreed to buy Dianomi PLC (AIM:DNM), a smaller UK rival, in a cash deal worth up to £27 million.

Dianomi shareholders will receive 64p in cash for each share, valuing the company at about £19 million.

10:00am: FTSE 100 down

The FTSE 100 fell 0.6% or over 66 points to 10,749, while the FTSE 250 is down over 22 points or 0.09% at 24,330.

The FTSE 100 is lower on Friday mainly because investors are taking some profit after Thursday's 1.2% rally and reassessing the outlook for interest rates.

The FTSE 100 closed 1.2% higher at 10,816.14 on Thursday, its strongest session in recent trading, so Friday's modest decline looks partly like consolidation after the sharp advance.

The Bank of England (BoE) held Bank Rate at 3.75% on Thursday, but its statement was more hawkish than the decision suggested.

On Friday, the Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to 1.25%, a 31-year high, as it sought to contain inflationary pressures linked to higher oil prices and other global factors.

The widely expected move failed to support the yen, which weakened as investors focused on two dissenting board members who opposed the increase.

Brent crude fell around 1% to $103.83 a barrel early on Friday, extending a two-day decline.

The drop came as investors weighed fresh clashes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels against signs that Saudi Arabia could bring additional crude to global markets, easing supply concerns.

Surprisingly, UK retail sales volumes rose 0.5% in August, following a 0.5% fall in July and a 0.6% rise in June.

Sales volumes were up 2.4% compared with August last year.

Non-store retailers partially recovered from July's decline, attributed to promotions being brought forward into June.

Department stores also picked up in August, following stock availability problems the previous month.

Retailer shares were broadly lower on Friday, with Next down 3.4%, Sainsbury's down 1.4%, Tesco down 1.3% and Kingfisher down 0.7%, despite stronger-than-expected UK retail sales in August, suggesting the positive data has not translated into immediate buying across retail shares.

Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGF, SIX:NESN), the Swiss maker of Nescafé and KitKat, said on Friday it was assessing all options to protect its rights after Russia moved to seize control of its local operations.

A presidential decree signed by Vladimir Putin on Thursday placed Nestlé's Russian assets under temporary administration, transferring management to a Russian company called L.E.V. Management.

Nestlé said it remained committed to protecting its rights and ensuring continuity of operations for the benefit of stakeholders, particularly its employees.

Market reaction was immediate. Nestlé shares fell 1.0% to 77p, after opening at 77p compared with a previous close of 78p, with no intraday high or low available.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is meeting UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Manchester on Friday, their first meeting since Burnham took office in July.

Martin is the first international leader to visit No 10 North, Burnham's new Downing Street outpost in the north of England.

The leaders are discussing Northern Ireland, trade, and November's planned EU-UK summit.

Chancellor John Healey will tell EU finance ministers not to lock Britain out of a programme designed to shield European industries from unfair Chinese competition.

The chancellor is expected to make the case at a meeting of counterparts in Dublin on Friday, pressing for closer UK-EU cooperation on technology, defence and manufacturing.

Softcat PLC (LSE:SCT) has raised gross proceeds of approximately £354 million through an equity issue, comprising 18,742,590 new shares issued at 1,890p each.

The 1,890p placing price represents a 4.0% discount to Softcat's closing price of 1,968p on Thursday.

The net proceeds will partly fund Softcat's acquisition of GDT Topco and transaction-related costs.

9.00 am: Telecoms lead the decline

The FTSE 100 fell 58 points, or 0.5%, to 10,758, near its session low of 10,754.

Telecommunications stocks dominated the fallers as part of a sector-wide retreat across Europe. Airtel Africa dropped 6.8%, while BT Group and Vodafone declined 3.4% and 3.3%, respectively.

Consumer shares also weakened, with Coca-Cola HBC down 4.1% and Next losing 3%.

The FTSE 250 slipped 0.1%, while the AIM All-Share bucked the wider decline with a 0.4% gain.

8.15 am: Miners provide early support

The FTSE 100 fell 32 points, or 0.3%, to 10,784 shortly after the opening bell, having traded between 10,771 and 10,802.

Miners provided support as gold gained 0.7% to US$4,431.62 an ounce and copper rose 0.6% to US$6.65 per pound.

Endeavour Mining led the blue-chip risers with a 1.7% advance, while Fresnillo gained 1.4% and Antofagasta added 0.7%.

Brent crude dropped 2.2% to US$102.49 a barrel.

7.00 am: Retail sales rebound as London eyes flat opening

The FTSE 100 is expected to open broadly unchanged on Friday despite an overnight rally on Wall Street and a rebound in UK retail sales.

London's blue-chip index was called at around 10,816, little changed from Thursday's close of 10,816.14. The index gained 1.2% during the previous session after the Bank of England held interest rates and paused active gilt sales.

UK retail sales volumes rose 0.5% in August, reversing July's 0.5% decline, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Sales were 2.4% higher than a year earlier and increased 0.9% in the three months to August compared with the preceding three months.

Online retailers partially recovered from July's decline, while department stores benefited from improved stock availability. Fuel sales fell as higher prices prompted motorists to reduce journeys or put less petrol in their vehicles.

The figures could support retailers at the opening bell, although they also provide the Bank of England with further evidence that consumer activity remains resilient.

The Bank held its benchmark rate at 3.75% on Thursday by a six-to-three vote, with the three dissenting policymakers favouring a quarter-point increase. Several members who backed no change indicated they could support higher rates if the energy shock spreads into wages and domestic prices.

Wall Street rebounded overnight as oil prices and government bond yields retreated. The S&P 500 gained 1.2%, the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.7% and the Dow Jones added 0.6%, or 316 points.

The US ten-year Treasury yield eased to around 4.93%, helping technology and other rate-sensitive shares recover following Wednesday's Federal Reserve interest-rate increase.

Asian markets were mostly higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed around 1.9% after the Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%, its highest level in 31 years.

South Korea's Kospi gained approximately 2.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng and China's Shanghai Composite advanced around 0.7% and 1%, respectively.

Australia's ASX 200 finished virtually unchanged, slipping 1.2 points, or 0.01%, to 8,731.20. The index climbed as high as 8,771.60 before surrendering its gains and touching a session low of 8,717.

Brent crude fell around 1.3% to US$103.43 a barrel, potentially weighing on BP and Shell while easing pressure on airlines, retailers and other energy-intensive companies.

Gold rose 0.8% to approximately US$4,376 an ounce. Copper eased 0.2% to US$6.57 per pound but remained supported by improving Chinese demand and longer-term consumption expectations linked to electricity grids, renewable energy and data centres.

Bitcoin advanced approximately 1.5% to US$77,560, recovering from the pressure that followed the Federal Reserve's interest-rate increase earlier in the week.

With no major FTSE 100 results scheduled, retail sales, central-bank policy and movements in commodities are expected to determine London's early direction.