Ftse 100 Prices Jump

• The FTSE 100 rose 1.1% to 10,670 during morning trading on 18 February 2026.

• The index surpassed 10,650 for the first time in its history.

• UK consumer price inflation measured 3.0% annually in January 2026.

• December 2025 inflation was 3.4%.

• The Office for National Statistics attributed lower inflation to reduced bread and petrol prices.

• The Bank of England is expected by many economists to cut interest rates in March 2026.

• Economists anticipate rates could fall to 3.5% in March and potentially to 3.0% by the end of 2026.

• UK unemployment reached 5.2%, the highest level in a decade outside the pandemic period.

• James Smith described the inflation data as “a bit of a mixed bag.”

• The FTSE 250 reached its highest level in four years.

• The FTSE 100 has gained more than 7% in 2026.

• The S&P 500 has declined 0.5% over the same period.

• BAE Systems shares rose 3.6% during the session.

• BAE Systems announced a final dividend of 22.8 pence.

• BAE Systems increased its total annual dividend to 36.3 pence, a 10% rise year-on-year.

• BAE Systems repurchased 30 million shares at a cost of £502 million.

• Glencore reported a 6% decline in adjusted EBITDA to $13.5 billion.

• Glencore’s revenue increased 7% year-on-year to $247.5 billion.

• Glencore’s adjusted EBIT fell 14% to $6 billion.

• Shares in Glencore, GSK, and National Grid have each risen more than 20% in 2026.

• Tesco shares have risen 20% in under one month.