FX.co ★ FTSE 100 Edges Lower

On Christmas Eve, the FTSE 100 experienced a modest decline of 0.1%, settling around the 9,880 mark during a shortened trading session. The downturn was primarily attributed to declines in healthcare and banking sectors. Notably, HSBC saw a decrease of 0.2%, AstraZeneca dipped by 0.7%, Unilever was down 0.3%, Rolls-Royce fell by 0.8%, GSK dropped 0.7%, and both Barclays and Lloyds experienced a 0.3% and 0.2% fall respectively. In contrast, energy stocks were buoyed by strengthening oil prices. BP's shares increased by 0.4% following the announcement of their agreement to sell a 65% stake in Castrol to Stonepeak, while Shell's stock rose 0.3%. It is anticipated that trading volumes will remain light due to the impending early market closure.