The FTSE 100 Index closed at 7,417.73 on Friday, marking a dip of 0.39%, as significant decreases were observed in the shares of key constituents such as Shell PLC (LON:SHEL), Compass Group (LON:CPG) PLC, and International Distribution Services PLC. These companies saw their share prices decline by 4.17%, 2.38%, and 2.37% respectively, contributing to the overall downtrend of the index. Other notable companies like Reckitt Benckiser (LON:RKT) Group PLC and Sage Group (LON:SGE) PLC also experienced share price declines ranging from 2.16% to 2.35%.
Despite the overall downward trend, some companies managed to buck the trend with significant gains. Leading the pack was Ocado (LON:OCDO) Group PLC, which saw its share price rally by an impressive 6.48%. This was followed by BT Group (LON:BT) PLC with a gain of 5.70%, SEGRO PLC with a rise of 4.68%, Persimmon (LON:PSN) PLC with an increase of 4.06%, and Entain PLC, which saw its shares go up by 3.98%.
In terms of currency movements, the pound appreciated against both the dollar and the euro on Friday, recording gains of 1.46% and 0.36% respectively.
Complementing the stock market trends, Brent Crude prices fell by 1.6%. In addition, there was a decline in the yield on the UK's 10-year gilt by 9.390 basis points, settling at a rate of 4.294%. This suggests that investors may be shifting towards safer assets amidst the volatile market conditions.
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