FTSE 100 movers: Defence firms fall again; Fresnillo shines

5th Nov 2026 14:48

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was down 0.3% at 10,801.20 in afternoon trade on Thursday.

Defence firm BAE Systems and Babcock lost ground again, having fallen on Wednesday amid expectations the Democrats' sweeping victory in the US midterms would lead to lower defence spending.

Autotrader was also in the red as the automotive marketplace and digital platform reported a dip in first-half profit and revenue but maintained its full-year operating profit guidance. In the six months to the end of December, pre-tax profit fell 4% to £191.2m, with revenue down 1% to £313.4m. Group operating profit nudged 1% lower to £198.5m.

Revenue excluding vehicle & accessory sales increased marginally to £301.8m from £301.2m in the same period a year earlier, while retailer revenue was 1% lower at £250.8m as the company started the year with both lower retailer numbers and paid listings.

On the upside, Fresnillo was the top gainer as gold prices rose.

Croda advanced as it reported a 6.6% jump in third-quarter sales, pointing to an exceptionally strong performance in Beauty and good sales growth in the pharma segment.

Next rose as third-quarter sales at the fashion and homeware retailer beat expectations, driven by the international operations, although UK growth was volatile after the hot summer weather that deterred shoppers from venturing out.

National Grid shares sparked after the energy infrastructure group reported a sharp increase in first-half profits and upgraded its full-year earnings guidance, supported by higher regulated revenues and record investment in its networks.

FTSE 100 - Risers

Fresnillo (FRES) 2,573.00p 4.29%

Airtel Africa (AAF) 288.80p 3.73%

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 179.30p 3.73%

Diageo (DGE) 1,873.50p 3.42%

Croda International (CRDA) 3,732.00p 3.16%

Next (NXT) 16,045.00p 2.85%

Rio Tinto (RIO) 6,360.00p 2.64%

Lion Finance Group (BGEO) 12,830.00p 2.55%

Standard Chartered (STAN) 2,184.00p 2.34%

National Grid (NG.) 1,295.00p 2.25%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 4,260.00p -15.00%

BAE Systems (BA.) 1,877.00p -5.31%

Metlen Energy & Metals (MTLN) 47.30p -3.11%

Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,023.00p -1.59%

Ithaca Energy (ITH) 255.30p -1.12%

Computacenter (CCC) 4,720.00p -1.08%

NATWEST GROUP (NWG) 605.20p -1.01%

Autotrader Group (AUTO) 565.20p -0.98%

Vodafone Group (VOD) 120.30p -0.87%

IG Group Holdings (IGG) 969.50p -0.61%