FTSE 100 Live: FTSE 100 Kicks Off 2026 at Record High as Precious Metals Surge

The FTSE 100 saw a remarkable start to the year, as it reached new record highs when the investors came back after the holiday. The index rose by 39 points to 9,971, near the 10,000 level, although the trading volumes were low due to the holidays.

The London index ended the year 2025 at 9,931.38, being a little bit lower on New Year's Eve but still showing a yearly increase of over 21%.

Gainers and Losers

Precious metals stocks led early gains, tracking a renewed surge in gold and silver prices. Fresnillo jumped about 4.5% to £3,466 as higher bullion prices boosted sentiment across the mining sector.

Rolls-Royce Holdings rose 2.04% to £1,173.50, while Melrose Industries gained 1.8% to £599. Mining heavyweight Antofagasta added around 1.9% to £3,341.

Luxury and commodities also contributed, with Burberry Group up about 1.8% to £1,291.50 and Glencore advanced 1.7% to £413.65.

On the other hand, British American Tobacco backed 2.30% to £4,117 and Imperial Brands eased 0.7% to £3,096.

Consumer names also saw modest declines, as Coca-Cola Europacific Partners fell nearly 0.9% to £6,790 and Next slipped around 0.40% to £13,625.

Games Workshop also declined 0.21% to £18,880, while Ashtead Group fell 0.39% to £5,066.

Metals Surge Underpins Market Mood

The precious metals continued the momentum of the previous year’s bull run. The price of gold rose in the spot market by around 1.6% to about $4,385 per ounce, and the price of silver skyrocketed by over 4.3% to nearly $74.3 per ounce.

With the support of the US rate cuts, ETF inflows, and continued central bank demand, gold achieved its strongest annual performance since 1979 in 2025.

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Global Market View

The stocks of precious metals led the gains, following the sharp rise in gold and silver prices. Fresnillo share price increased nearly 4.5% to £3,466 as higher metal prices improved the mood in the whole mining industry. 

Rolls-Royce Holdings went up by 2.04% to £1,173.50, Melrose Industries was up 1.8% to £599, and Antofagasta, the most significant mining company in the sector, added around 1.9% to £3,341.

According to S&P Global, Australia’s manufacturing sector continued to grow in December due to the increased number of new orders and output, while the firms already started showing confidence in the year ahead.