UK Markets Daily: FTSE 100 Closes Up 1.0% on Monday 12 October 2026
The FTSE 100 closed up 1.0% at 10,656.28 on Monday 12 October 2026, while the FTSE 250 rose 0.47%, Brent crude rose 1.83% to $106.64 a barrel and gold fell 0.68% to $4,187.80 an ounce.
TL;DR: The FTSE 100 rose 1.0% to 10,656.28 on Monday, while the FTSE 250 rose 0.47%. Brent crude rose 1.83% to $106.64 a barrel, gold fell 0.68% to $4,187.80 an ounce, and the pound fell 0.17% against the dollar to 1.32.
Market snapshot
Closing levels on 12 October 2026 (data as of 2026-10-12 16:35 London time):
| Instrument | Price | Day change |
|---|---|---|
| FTSE 100 | 10,656.28 points | +0.99% |
| FTSE 250 | 24,328.06 points | +0.47% |
| GBP/USD | 1.32 | -0.17% |
| EUR/GBP | 0.84 | -0.30% |
| Gold | $4,187.80 per oz | -0.68% |
| Brent crude | $106.64 per bbl | +1.83% |
| Bitcoin | $82,483 | -1.49% (24h) |
| Ethereum | $2,513.43 | -1.08% (24h) |
What moved markets
- UK shares rose, with the FTSE 100 up 0.99% and the FTSE 250 up 0.47%. The data and headlines fetched today show no single clear driver for the rise, so we are not going to invent one.
- Brent crude rose 1.83% to $106.64 a barrel, while gold fell 0.68% to $4,187.80 an ounce.
- The pound fell 0.17% against the dollar to 1.32, while the euro fell 0.30% against the pound to 0.84, which means the pound gained ground against the euro.
- Bitcoin fell 1.49% over 24 hours to $82,483, while Ethereum fell 1.08% to $2,513.43.
Top UK business headlines
- Healey faces £35bn Budget challenge to meet spending pledges, says think tank (BBC News)
- How to avoid getting stung if you miss credit card payments (BBC News)
- Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack (BBC News)
- AI minister warns 'likely' UK's cyber defences will be breached (BBC News)
- Roofing scammers con homeowners out of thousands of pounds (BBC News)
Tomorrow to Watch
The scheduled economic news that can move markets on Tuesday 13 October 2026, in UK times:
- 00:01: UK BRC Retail Sales Monitor. This is the British Retail Consortium measure of how much shoppers spent with its member retailers. It is an early read on UK consumer spending and usually moves the pound and retail shares when it differs from what traders were braced for.
- 04:00: Bank of England MPC member Megan Greene speaks. Speeches by Monetary Policy Committee members can move the pound if they comment on inflation or the path for interest rates. We report what is said; we do not guess the content in advance.
- 08:45: Fed’s Waller speaks. Comments from a Federal Reserve policymaker can move the dollar and US shares if they change how markets see the path for US interest rates.
- 11:00: US NFIB Small Business Optimism. This survey asks US small firms how they see sales, hiring and costs. It is a health check on a large part of the US economy and usually moves the dollar only modestly unless it surprises.
- 15:00: US Existing Home Sales. This counts sales of previously owned US homes. Markets expect 4.0 million, the same as the previous reading shown on the calendar checked for this edition. Housing data usually moves the dollar through what it says about US consumer strength and interest rates.
- 19:00: US Monthly Budget Statement. This is the US Treasury report on the federal government surplus or deficit for September. It rarely moves markets on the day, but a large figure can feed the wider debate on US borrowing and bond yields.
Times and expectations are taken from the published economic calendar and can change. We explain what each release is and what it usually moves; we do not predict which way markets will go.
See the full UK Markets Daily hub, updated every weekday evening.
Figures are indicative closing levels and can be delayed. Nothing here is financial advice.
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