FTSE 100 movers: Defence stocks slide; Fresnillo shines

19th Nov 2025 14:51

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was flat at 9,551.00 in afternoon trade on Wednesday.

Precious metals miner Fresnillo was the top performer as gold prices rose.

JD Sports was also in the black ahead of a trading update on Thursday.

Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the third-quarter numbers from JD Sports will be key in proving whether trading momentum has genuinely turned a corner.

"Investors will be watching closely for signs of stabilisation in the US market, which has struggled recently due to a weak macroeconomic backdrop, delays in product launches, and intense discounting from competitor," he said.

"Trading in the UK and Europe has also been subdued, with last year's numbers getting a foot up from the men's 2024 Euros. Comparisons on this side of the Atlantic should get easier from here, but there's a lot of pressure to deliver. Meeting full-year guidance will be challenging, and we wouldn't be surprised if the group falls just short of its target."

Sage Group rallied as the business software firm unveiled a £300m share buyback and posted a jump in annual profits, pinning its hopes on the evolution of artificial intelligence.

On the downside, defence firms BAE Systems and Babcock were the worst performers on the index, with engine maker Rolls-Royce also down after Politico reported that the White House was set to unveil a major new peace agreement with Russia that will bring war with Ukraine to an end.

FTSE 100 - Risers

Fresnillo (FRES) 2,424.00p 6.41%

JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 80.22p 4.18%

ICG (ICG) 2,050.00p 3.90%

Metlen Energy & Metals (MTLN) 41.80p 3.47%

The Sage Group (SGE) 1,112.50p 3.39%

Convatec Group (CTEC) 236.60p 2.60%

easyJet (EZJ) 467.10p 2.48%

CRH (CDI) (CRH) 8,416.00p 2.09%

Spirax Group (SPX) 6,885.00p 1.92%

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 378.10p 1.83%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

BAE Systems (BA.) 1,724.00p -4.49%

Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,122.00p -3.03%

St James's Place (STJ) 1,273.00p -1.96%

Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 3,780.00p -1.72%

Beazley (BEZ) 875.50p -1.57%

Airtel Africa (AAF) 297.80p -1.46%

Auto Trader Group (AUTO) 663.20p -1.40%

BP (BP.) 452.55p -1.31%

Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 87.92p -1.30%

Shell (SHEL) 2,785.50p -1.14%