United Kingdom: FTSE 100 Rises to New Record.

The FTSE 100 rose 0.8% to a record high near 10,556 on Tuesday, extending gains for a third session as weak labour data boosted expectations of further Bank of England rate cuts. UK unemployment unexpectedly rose to 5.2% in the three months to December, the highest since 2021, while wage growth slowed and payrolls declined, pointing to softer hiring and supporting hopes for looser policy. Rate cut bets lifted interest rate sensitive stocks, with housebuilders leading gains as borrowing cost expectations eased. Barratt Redrow rose more than 3%, while Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey gained around 2%. On the downside, mining shares weighed on the index as metals prices weakened. Gold miners were hit particularly hard, with Endeavour down 4% and Fresnillo falling 2.2% as precious metals retreated. Copper producer Antofagasta dropped about 3.9% as copper prices also moved lower.