Lucy Harley-McKeown
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LIVE: FTSE 100 down and US indices mixed as tech stocks rally
How major markets are performing on Friday
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European and US stocks were mixed on Friday, as traders digest the latest retail sales data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Markets were also looking to key earnings reports, including that of Netflix, which beat analysts' expectations.
The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) fell 0.3% by the afternoon, while Germany's DAX (^GDAXI) was up 0.1% and the CAC 40 (^FCHI) in Paris was 0.5% higher.
The pan-European STOXX 600 (^STOXX) rose 0.2%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) rose 0.8%, while the Dow (^DJI) was 0.3% lower and the S&P 500 (^GSPC) ticked up 0.2%.
The ONS said UK retail sales volumes are estimated to have risen by 0.3% in September 2024 — ahead of forecasts. It follows a rise of 1% in August 2024. During the year to September 2024, sales volumes rose by 3.9%, the largest annual rise since February 2022.
"What September’s retail sales tells us is that, while there is somewhat of a recovery since the bounceback in consumer sentiment directly after the general election, this improvement remains fragile and unbalanced, with uneven performance from one sector of retail to another. Better weather and discounting has helped invigorate sales in some categories, while there is still nervousness around larger household purchases," said Lisa Hooker, leader of industry for consumer markets at PwC UK.
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