FTSE 100 swings between pharma drag and mid‑day gains

London’s FTSE 100 opened lower, slipping about 0.3% to 10,651.77 as healthcare stocks weighed on the index. AstraZeneca fell 2.5% and GSK dropped 1.6%, while lower gold prices pushed Fresnillo and Endeavour Mining down roughly 2.5% each. In contrast, easyJet surged 9.3% after announcing a takeover‑in‑principle agreement with US private‑equity firm Castlelake, valuing the airline at more than £5 billion. ITV also disclosed a sale of its Media & Entertainment business to Sky for up to £1.6 billion, with part of the proceeds earmarked for a £950 million shareholder return.

Later in the trading day the index recovered, gaining 0.44% to 10,698.71. Top performers included Burberry (+3.39%), Diageo (+3.27%), Unilever (+3.05%) and Shell (+2.70%). Declining shares featured Antofagasta, Anglo American, Fresnillo, Rio Tinto and Computacenter. The FTSE 100’s market capitalisation stood at €3.203 trillion, with Lloyds Banking Group seeing the highest trading volume and HSBC holding the largest market‑cap position.