London’s benchmark FTSE 100 stocks index topped 10,000 points for the first time on Friday, extending a record run seen last year.

In early deals on the first trading day of 2026, the capital’s top-tier index featuring the likes of energy group BP, telecoms firm Vodafone and banking giant HSBC — gained 1.0 per cent to an all-time high of 10,033.75 points.

The index had risen more than 21 per cent in 2025, the biggest gain for 16 years, helped in large part by cuts to British interest rates alongside reductions to borrowing costs by the US Federal Reserve as global inflation retreated.

Helping the FTSE 100 to its new record on Friday was another solid gain to the share price of gold miner Fresnillo, whose stock rocketed 436 per cent last year as the precious metal’s price struck multiple record highs.

Stock markets around the globe hit all-time peaks last year, propelling them to double-digit gains in 2025.

AFP

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