FTSE 100 Edges Down on Thursday

The FTSE 100 fell on Thursday, although losses were smaller than across other European markets, as gains in pharmaceutical and consumer stocks partly offset declines in banks and mining companies. Antofagasta dropped over 6%, while Fresnillo and Anglo American each lost around 5.5%, and Endeavour fell more than 4%. Barclays declined over 2% after announcing plans to cut 5,000 jobs through AI-driven efficiencies, while its bond-trading performance disappointed in the third quarter. UK bank shares also weakened amid growing concerns over higher taxes in next week’s budget, with HSBC and Lloyds falling over 2%, NatWest losing more than 1% and Standard Chartered dropping over 4%. J Sainsbury slipped over 2% after reporting weaker-than-expected first-half like-for-like sales growth. In contrast, AstraZeneca and GSK each gained 2.6%, Unilever rose 3%, and British American Tobacco advanced more than 2%, providing some support to the broader index.