12th Feb 2026 06:55
(Alliance News) - Stocks in London are set to open higher on Thursday, ahead of a batch of UK economic data including GDP, trade balance and industrial production figures.
IG says futures indicate the FTSE 100 to open up 40.4 points, 0.4%, at 10,513.01 on Thursday. The index of London large-caps closed up 1.1% at 10,472.11 on Wednesday.
UK data is due at 0700 GMT, with UK GDP, trade balance and industrial production all scheduled.
UK GDP is expected to rise 0.1% month-on-month in December, slowing from a 0.3% increase in November.
UK industrial output is expected to show 0.0% month-on-month growth in December, compared with a 1.1% rise in November, while the UK goods trade balance is forecast to show a GBP22.7 billion deficit in December.
According to the most recent UK residential market survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, there was continued downward pressure on UK house prices.
The net balance for house prices, which represents the proportion of survey respondents reporting an increase in prices minus those reporting a fall, stood at minus 10% in January from minus 14% in December.
The FXStreet-cited consensus forecast had expected a reading of minus 11% for January. Agreed sales posted a net balance of minus 9% in January, the least negative since June, versus minus 19% in December.
Sterling was quoted at USD1.3606 early Thursday, lower than USD1.3640 at the London equities close on Wednesday.
The euro traded at USD1.1854 early Thursday, lower than USD1.1861 late Wednesday. Against the yen, the dollar was quoted at JPY153.50, lower versus JPY154.23.
In the US on Wednesday, Wall Street ended lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.1%, the S&P 500 marginally lower and the Nasdaq Composite down 0.2%.
On the economic front, the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, due last Friday but delayed by the brief US government shutdown, showed nonfarm payroll employment rose by 130,000 in January, up markedly from 48,000 in December and topping the FXStreet-cited consensus of 70,000. December's reading was revised downward to 50,000.
In Washington, US House lawmakers voted to reject US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, brushing aside the president's last-gasp threat of electoral consequences in a rare rebuke of his signature economic policy.
The resolution, brought by Democrats, passed by 219 votes to 211, with six Republicans backing the effort.
Separately, Trump ordered the Pentagon on Wednesday to purchase electricity from coal-fired plants, in his latest bid to bolster an industry that is a major contributor to climate change.
Surrounded by coal miners at a White House ceremony, Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to strike long-term agreements involving coal. He said coal was "critical to our national security", while the order argued coal would provide US military bases and facilities with "uninterrupted, on-demand baseload power", reflecting Trump's repeated claims that renewable energy sources are unreliable.
In Asia on Thursday, the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo was marginally higher as Japan's producer prices rose modestly in January, preliminary data showed.
According to the Bank of Japan, the corporate producer price index increased 0.2% month-on-month in January from 0.1% in December, matching the FXStreet-cited consensus forecast. The PPI rose 2.3% year-on-year in January from 2.4% in December, also in line with expectations.
In China, the Shanghai Composite was also marginally higher, while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was down 1.0%. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney closed up 0.3%.
Gold was quoted at USD5,049.60 an ounce early Thursday, lower than USD5,055.15 on Wednesday.
Brent oil was trading at USD69.35 a barrel early Thursday, lower than USD69.82 late Wednesday, pressured despite news that US Energy Secretary Chris Wright vowed to drive a "dramatic increase" in Venezuela's oil output after talks with the country's acting leader, who backed a "productive long-term partnership" with Washington.
In Thursday's corporate calendar, Ashmore Group reports half year results, while British American Tobacco, Relx, Schroders and Unilever publish full year results.
In the economic calendar on Thursday, UK GDP, trade balance and industrial production, Ireland industrial production, US weekly jobless claims, Germany current account and US existing home sales.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter
Comments and questions to [email protected]
Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.