Highlights
- FTSE 100 down 20 points at 10,836
- Updates from Man, Aviva, Wise & JD Sports
Slow start
The FTSE 100 got off to a slow start, falling 20 points in early trading. For a Friday, it has been a fairly newsy day, with updates from Aviva, Wise and Man Group, along with a departure from JD Sports. We'll have more later in the session.
FTSE 100 set to dip into the red
The FTSE 100 is set to open 25 points lower on Friday as jitters about AI financing carry over into European trade.
Asian markets bounced back after a bruising session on Thursday, with Japan's Nikkei recovering 1.8% of a near-5% slump and South Korea's KOSPI up 2.8% following a fall of close to 8%.
The catalyst was CoreWeave, the Nvidia-backed cloud computing company, whose bond yields hit levels associated with distressed debt and triggered a broad selloff in AI-exposed stocks globally.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang moved to calm nerves, telling reporters in Stockholm that CoreWeave's financial strength was "improving every day" and that its cost of capital was declining.
Bond markets stabilised after Thursday's safe-haven rush into Treasuries, while the dollar edged toward its first weekly loss in five weeks.
Oil slipped, with Brent crude down 0.74% to $105.14 a barrel.
