UK market update: FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 close Friday higher as AstraZeneca slips 1.98%

UK stock markets are closed this weekend, so the index and share price figures below are Friday's closing levels (16 October 2026). Sterling figures are the latest available readings.

Indices

• FTSE 100: closed at 10,881.90, up 0.38% on the previous close.
• FTSE 250: closed at 24,533.90, up 0.45% on the previous close.
• GBP/USD: latest reading of $1.3329, up 0.42% on the previous close.
• GBP/EUR: latest reading of €1.1854, up 0.15% on the previous close.

The mid-cap FTSE 250 gained slightly more than the blue-chip FTSE 100. The pound was firmer against both the dollar and the euro.

Stock movers

Six of the ten stocks we track closed higher on Friday and four closed lower.

Risers

• Unilever: 4,966p, up 1.03%. This was the strongest gain among the stocks we track.
• Shell: 3,938p, up 0.77%.
• BP: 614.10p, up 0.59%.
• Rio Tinto: 6,816p, up 0.59%.
• HSBC: 1,428p, up 0.48%.
• Barclays: 432.65p, up 0.06%.

Fallers

• AstraZeneca: 12,446p, down 1.98%. This was the largest fall among the stocks we track.
• Lloyds Banking Group: 104.85p, down 0.94%.
• Rolls-Royce: 1,350.60p, down 0.90%.
• GSK: 1,862.50p, down 0.32%.

The two pharmaceutical names we follow, AstraZeneca and GSK, both closed lower. Shell and BP both closed higher. Results among the banks were mixed. HSBC and Barclays edged up, while Lloyds fell back.

In the news

• We have no relevant market headlines to report for these indices or stocks this weekend.

In summary, both main UK indices and sterling finished Friday modestly higher. Among the stocks we track, the moves ranged from Unilever's 1.03% rise to AstraZeneca's 1.98% fall.

Figures are indicative and may be delayed. This is general information, not advice.