FX.co ★ FTSE 100 Rises for 2nd Session

The FTSE 100 advanced on Tuesday, building on the previous session’s 1% rise as investors weighed declining oil prices and easing geopolitical risks. Bank shares led the gains: HSBC and Lloyds each rose more than 1%, while Barclays and Standard Chartered added around 2%. Barclays reported that UK consumer card spending grew 2.3% year-on-year in October, the fastest pace since July 2025, even as all five of its consumer confidence measures weakened over the month. Defence and industrial names also traded higher, with Rolls-Royce up nearly 3% and BAE Systems gaining 1.5%. Among defensives, British American Tobacco and GSK advanced about 1.5% and 1%, respectively. By contrast, energy majors underperformed, with Shell and BP slipping around 1% as crude prices softened on rising expectations of an earlier resolution to the US-Iran conflict.