London’s FTSE 100 edged lower during thin holiday trading as weakness in crude prices hit energy heavyweights Shell and BP. AstraZeneca also weighed on sentiment, while NatWest fell despite reporting profit growth. Some relief came from gains in Unilever, Rolls-Royce and Pearson, but mixed earnings kept investors cautious.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says AstraZeneca will invest 300 million pounds, about $405 million, in the country’s life sciences sector. The package is expected to safeguard or create around 1,000 jobs across Macclesfield and Cambridge. Starmer said the move follows a pharmaceutical arrangement involving the United States, signaling fresh confidence in UK biotech growth.
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