The FTSE 100 opened 0.35% higher to 10,480 on Friday despite data showing British retail sales fell by the most in nearly a year in April. Currency markets were relatively stable, with sterling strengthening slightly against the dollar to $1.3429.

Top Gainers & Losers 

BT Group surged 3.74% to 227.70p, while Games Workshop Group advanced 2.99% to £19,620 and Compass Group gained 2.69% to $32.40.

Also, 3i Group rose 2.53% to £2,307, while Croda International added 2.09% to £2,928 and Whitbread edged higher by 2.03% to £2,415.

On the downside, Lion Finance Group declined 1.38% to £10,690, while Endeavour Mining slipped 0.78% to £4,321 and United Utilities Group fell 0.66% to £1,351.

Among other laggards, Antofagasta eased 0.44% to £3,877, while British American Tobacco dropped 0.33% to £4,876 and Severn Trent edged lower by 0.32% to £3,090.

Games Workshop Jumps 

Games Workshop rose on a profit update. The company said it expects to report growing revenue and profits when it reports its full-year results in July. 

Revenue is expected to grow 11% to £625 million, while pre-tax profit is expected to jump by 1% to £265 million. But licensing revenue is set to decline from £52.5 million to £30 million.

Borrowing Surpasses Expectations 

April saw borrowing surge and reach its highest level since 2020. Government borrowing reached £24.3 billion in April 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 25% increase from April 2025. 

“Borrowing this month was substantially higher than April last year, and although receipts increased compared with April 2025, this was more than offset by higher spending on benefits and other costs,” Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the ONS, said. 

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Retail Buying Under Pressure

UK retail sales fell 1.3% in April, and fuel sales dropped 10.2% during the month, the biggest monthly fall since November 2020. 

Clothing had a rough month too, falling 2.4% to its lowest level since June 2025. Retailers blamed unpredictable weather and increasingly price-conscious shoppers. 

Online spending dipped by 2.3%, though it remains 6.6% higher than a year ago.

Global Market View

In the US, the Dow Jones climbed 0.6% to a fresh record, with the S&P 500 adding 0.2% and the Nasdaq edging 0.1% higher.

In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei has jumped 2.5%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.2%, China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.9%, Seoul's Kospi has added 0.6%, and Sydney's ASX 200 closed 0.4% firmer. In India, both the Nifty 50 and Sensex advanced 0.68% and 0.72%, respectively.