FTSE 100 Today: Why London Stocks Are Stuck Near 10,500 as Inflation Bites

Shares in Reckitt Benckiser Group plc fell about 3.8% to 5,788 pence by 0900 GMT Monday, down from last week’s close at 6,018 pence. Early trades bounced between 5,748 and 5,952 pence.

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc shares dropped 1.57% on Friday, ending the day at 60.18 pounds. That trims the stock’s gain for the year so far to just 0.3%. The company behind Dettol and Durex still sports an 18.7% increase over the last 12 months but is trading roughly 3.4% below its 52-week high, according to London Stock Exchange data.

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc stock heads into the Christmas break near multi-month highs, with investors juggling three big themes: fresh broker calls, an active share buyback and share-cancellation programme, and the approaching end‑December deadline for the Essential Home divestment that could unlock a major capital return. London South East

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc shares are heading into the final stretch of 2025 with two storylines that usually play well in consumer staples: steady shareholder returns and incremental, execution-focused growth moves. On Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the FTSE 100 group disclosed another round of share repurchases, while a new Malaysia distribution partnership put fresh emphasis on the company’s consumer health and hygiene portfolio in Southeast Asia. Investegate+1

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc has become one of those “quietly loud” UK large-caps: the underlying business is designed to be steady, but the equity story in 2025 has been anything but boring. A multi-year reshaping plan, an ongoing £1 billion buyback, an end-of-year divestment deadline, and fresh analyst calls are all colliding as the market heads into the final stretch of 2025.

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc heads into the new week hovering just below recent highs, with the share price supported by a steady drumbeat of buybacks and a narrative shift toward faster-growing Emerging Markets. The next few sessions are likely to be less about company-specific earnings and more about macro catalysts — notably UK inflation on Wednesday and the Bank of England policy decision on Thursday — alongside any last-minute year-end updates on the company’s major portfolio reshaping plan.

London — Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, the FTSE 100 maker of Dettol, Durex and Nurofen, slipped slightly in Friday trading as investors digested another “Transaction in Own Shares” announcement under its £1 billion buyback programme and a higher, but still neutral, price target from JPMorgan. London South East+2London South East+2