London's FTSE 100 touched a record high on Wednesday, as positive corporate updates and expectations of further monetary policy easing outweighed worries about tariffs promised by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The FTSE 100 index of top British firms ended up 0.2% at a fresh closing peak, though off its intraday high. Trading volumes were thin due to a U.S. market holiday. Trump, who has pledged to sign a flurry of executive orders concerning immigration, energy and tariffs on his first day in office, is being sworn in as U.S. president.

Analysis of FTSE 100's 2025 outlook now that it has risen to a new all-time high, examining key drivers including P/E ratios, dividend yields, sterling weakness and technical factors that could push the index to 9,

London’s FTSE 100 hit a record high Friday, as international exposure in the equity index shielded it from much of the turmoil that has weakened the pound, gilts and domestic stocks.