FTSE 100 marks third-straight week of gains, shaking off global woes

Britain's FTSE 100 locked in a third straight week of gains on Friday, as corporate takeovers and expectations of monetary policy easing helped counter global concerns about AI's disruptive potential on a swathe of industries, reports Reuters.
The blue?chip FTSE 100 rose 0.4 per cent, hovering below record highs touched on Thursday. The FTSE 250 mid?cap index gained 0.5 per cent, securing its first weekly rise after two consecutive weeks of losses.
A burst of new AI tool releases since late January has fuelled volatility in global markets, as investors weighed the threat newer models pose to traditional businesses.
London-listed credit analytics firm Experian, exchange operator London Stock Exchange Group, information group RELX, which were among the worst-hit stocks in the global selloff, rebounded on Friday.
Investors have cheered major M&A deals this week, including a US buyout of fund manager Schroders and NatWest Group's plans to buy wealth manager Evelyn Partners.
The week also saw data that showed Britain's economy grew just 0.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, matching the previous quarter's pace and partly reflecting uncertainty in the run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves' November budget.
Investors are pricing in a 63.4 per cent chance that the Bank of England will lower borrowing costs by 25 basis points when it meets in March.
BoE Chief Economist Huw Pill, however, warned underlying inflation was still running near 2.5 per cent and said rates must remain restrictive until disinflation is firmly secured.
Among other stock movers, NatWest reported a 24 per cent jump in annual profit, just ahead of forecasts, and set more ambitious performance targets as it steps up investment in Britain's costly but potentially lucrative wealth management market.
However, the bank's shares fell 2.5 per cent following a strong run last year.
Defence stocks got a lift, adding 3.1 per cent after a report that Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to push a multinational defence initiative at the Munich Security Conference this weekend.