UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Pauses for Boxing Day as Investors Weigh Retail Signals, Precious-Metals Surge and 2026 Outlook (26 December 2025)
The London Stock Exchange is closed Friday for Boxing Day, halting UK trading after a shortened Christmas Eve session where the FTSE 100 slipped 0.2%. Investors are watching global moves and a spike in precious metals, which could impact London-listed miners when trading resumes. BP agreed to sell a 65% stake in Castrol to Stonepeak for about $6 billion. The FTSE 100 is on track for a roughly 21% gain in 2025.