U.K. stocks finished sharply higher Friday, helped by a rally for the energy sector as oil prices gained, with the advance flipping the FTSE 100 benchmark into the green for the week.
How markets are moving
The FTSE 100 UKX, +1.67% jumped 1.7% to close at 7,682.27, after dropping 0.9% Thursday.
The blue-chip gauge finished 0.6% higher for the week.
The pound GBPUSD, +0.1359% rose to $1.3270, up from $1.3241 late Thursday in New York. It is finding buyers after the Bank of England on Thursday revealed a hawkish tilt as its policy makers voted 6-3 in favor of keeping rates unchanged.
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What’s driving markets
Crude futures CLQ8, +4.58% LCOQ8, +2.19% traded sharply higher Friday as Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries members agreed at a meeting in Austria to raise output, but by an amount that appears likely to be less than traders had feared. That seemed to give a lift to shares of the London-listed oil giants.
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Meanwhile, investors are fearing that trade tensions between the U.S. and major trading partners such as China and the European Union could develop into a big drag on the global economy. These concerns come as the American economy, the world’s largest, is increasingly viewed as in the late stages of its expansion. The EU has said it would begin implementing tariffs on $3.2 billion in U.S. imports on Friday.
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What strategists are saying
“Equity markets are experiencing a bit of a bounce on Friday at the end of what has been another worrying week, in which trade concerns have weighed on risk appetite,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda, in a note.
“The FTSE 100 is firmly higher as the strength of commodity stocks has made the British market the envy of Europe,” said David Madden, analyst at CMC Markets UK, in a note. “BP and Royal Dutch Shell both started out weaker on the session, but rallied in the wake of the announcement from OPEC.”
Stock movers
As oil prices gained, shares in oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC RDSB, +3.46% RDS.B, +4.34% rose 3.5% and rival BP PLC’s stock BP., +3.06% BP, +4.05% tacked on 3.1%.
Off the FTSE 100, Uvenco UK PLC UVEN, +0.00% said Friday that it will delay the publication of its accounts for 2017, as talks with its principal creditor continue. The vending-machine operator said its shares will remain suspended from trading on London’s junior AIM market.