London pre-open: Stocks seen up on positive Wall St cues
By Michele Maatouk
Date: Friday 27 Jun 2025
(Sharecast News) - London stocks were set to gain at the open on Friday following a solid US session, amid a dearth of UK corporate news.
The FTSE 100 was called to open around 20 points higher.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished just below their record highs despite some mixed economic data, with tech names providing a big lift.
The Dow gained 0.94% to 43,386.84, its highest since 28 February. The S&P 500 rose 0.80% to 6,141.02, its highest since 19 February when it settled at a record-high close of 6,144.15. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq jumped 0.97% to 20,167.91, not far off its all-time high of 20,173.89 registered on 16 December.
Danske Bank said: "Goldilocks is (almost) back - at least through the lens of market performance. Less than a week after the geopolitical risk premium spiked on fears of an expanded Middle East conflict involving the US in the Iran/Israel conflict, risk sentiment has remarkably recalibrated.
"Equity markets pushed higher (again) yesterday, with several major indices either breaking into new all-time highs or inching very close. The VIX continued to grind lower (again), cyclical sectors outperformed defensives (again), and true to form in this type of risk on minimum volatility lagged (again)."
It added: "This morning's picture in Asia is more mixed, though Japan stands out with a strong ~1.5% gain following softer-than-expected inflation data.US. and European futures are also higher."
There wasn't much of note on the FTSE 350, but according to the Financial Times, energy firm Centrica will take a 15% stake in Britain's Sizewell C nuclear project following years of delays and extensive negotiations.
A final investment decision on the project was being targeted for before parliament's recess on 21 July.
Also according to the FT, Unilever is paying $1.5bn to buy men's grooming brand Dr Squatch from private-equity firm Summit Partners.
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