(RTTNews) - The UK market's benchmark index FTSE 100 gained modest ground in positive territory Friday morning despite lingering concerns about Middle East tensions, and reports saying Hezbollah has rejected a new ceasefire agreement with Israel.
According to reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated Hezbollah's engineering unit commander Abed Harb, escalating tensions.
Meanwhile, investors await U.S. non-farm payroll data for the month of May, due later in the day.
The FTSE 100 was up 39.41 points or about 0.4% at 10,399.73 a few minutes before noon.
LSEG and Experian both gained about 3.1%. Sainsbury (J), RightMove, Pearson, Relx, AutoTrader Group, Coca-Cola HBC, Pershing Square Holdings, 3i Group, Smith & Nephew, Bunzl, Tesco and Compass Group moved up 1.5%-2.6%.
Airtel Africa, St. James's Place, AstraZeneca, The Sage Group, Games Workshop, Kingfisher, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Howden Joinery, Unilever, British Land and Informa also climbed notably higher.
Shares of single-board computer maker Raspberry Pi Holdings shares soared 26% after the company said it expects full-year earnings to significantly exceed market expectations.
Halma slid nearly 3%. Scottish Mortgage, Polar Capital Technology Trust, JD Sports Fashion and Hiscox lost 1.6%-2%.
Miners Glencore, Anglo American Plc, Rio Tinto, Antofagasta, Endeavour Mining and Fresnillo shed 1%-1.6%.
In economic news, data from Halifax and Bank of Scotland showed the Halifax House Price Index showed UK house prices fell 0.1% from a month earlier in May 2026, matching the decline recorded in April. House prices were expected to rise by 0.1% in May.
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