UK Markets Daily: FTSE 100 Closes Up 0.7% on Wednesday 14 October 2026

TL;DR: The FTSE 100 closed up 0.70% at 10,724.86 on Wednesday, while the FTSE 250 rose 0.09%, gold fell 1.75% to $4,104.00 an ounce, and Brent crude rose 0.80% to $106.54 a barrel.

Market snapshot

Closing levels on 14 October 2026 (data as of 2026-10-14 16:35 London time):

What moved markets

• UK shares rose, with the FTSE 100 up 0.70% and the FTSE 250 up 0.09%. The data and headlines fetched today show no single clear driver for the moves, so we are not going to invent one.
• The pound fell 0.41% against the dollar to 1.32, while the euro rose 0.08% against the pound to 0.85.
• Gold fell 1.75% to $4,104.00 an ounce, while Brent crude rose 0.80% to $106.54 a barrel.
• Bitcoin fell 1.49% over 24 hours to $81,975, while Ethereum fell 2.24% to $2,450.64.

Top UK business headlines

• Netflix to lay off 1,000 staff in steepest cuts since 2022 (BBC News)
• Toilet paper and secret recorders: What we know about the arrest of the Saudi OpenAI engineer (BBC News)
• Faisal Islam: What surprise praise for UK economy tells us about the Budget (BBC News)
• Driving test waits fall to two-year low – but still average 20 weeks (BBC News)
• US inflation rises more than expected – here’s what is happening with prices (BBC News)

Tomorrow to Watch

The scheduled economic news that can move markets on Thursday 15 October 2026, in UK times:

• 07:00: UK GDP. The monthly growth figures for August, published with manufacturing production, industrial production and the trade balance. Markets expect GDP to fall 0.1% on the month after a 0.4% rise before. The release usually moves the pound and UK shares, because it changes the picture on growth ahead of the Budget.
• 09:45: Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden speaks. A scheduled speech. Markets listen for any view on inflation and interest rates, and comments can move the pound and UK government bond yields.
• 13:30: US Retail Sales. The main US consumer spending report for September. Markets expect a rise of 0.3% on the month after 1.2% before, with sales excluding autos expected to rise 0.5%. It usually moves the dollar and US shares, because spending is a large part of US growth.
• 13:30: US Producer Price Index (PPI). Prices charged by US producers for September. Markets expect a rise of 0.5% on the month after 0.4% before. It usually moves the dollar and gold when it changes expectations for US inflation and interest rates.
• 13:30: US Initial Jobless Claims and Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index. Weekly claims for unemployment benefits, with markets expecting 195,000 against 197,000 before, published alongside the Philadelphia Fed survey, where markets expect 26.5 against 37.8 before. Together they can move the dollar if they change the view on US jobs and factories.
• 16:30: Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh speaks. A scheduled speech after the day’s US data. Markets listen for any view on inflation and the next interest rate decision, and his comments can move the dollar, US shares and gold.

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.