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London open: FTSE gains amid US-Iran peace hopes; retail sales, borrowing in focus

By Michele Maatouk

Date: Friday 22 May 2026

(Sharecast News) - London stocks rose in early trade on Friday amid renewed hopes of a peace deal between the US and Iran, as investors mulled a bigger-than-expected drop in UK retail sales and higher-than-expected borrowing figures.
At 0830 BST, the FTSE 100 was 0.4% firmer at 10,481.81, while sterling was...

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