Among UK blue-chip stocks, Haleon led early gains, rising 1.65% to £356.60, followed by and Smith & Nephew, both advancing over 1%.
Games Workshop Group also climbed 1.07% to £16,020, reflecting optimism in consumer-facing sectors.
Conversely, slumped 1.62% to £1,545.50 after banking sector weakness and cautious global risk sentiment. Burberry Group also fell 1.09% to £1,266, weighed down by concerns over China’s retail demand.
Other losers include Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, which dropped 0.88% to £6,760; Shell declined 0.75% to £2,861.50, and InterContinental Hotels Group fell 0.62% to £9,350, as investors rotated out of defensives following the Fed’s rate comments.
