The FTSE 100 edged slightly higher on Wednesday as investors assessed UK inflation data and looked ahead to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision later in the day, followed by the Bank of England meeting on Thursday. UK markets reduced expectations for BoE rate hikes this year after inflation unexpectedly held steady in May, supporting a more cautious stance among some policymakers. Energy stocks remained under pressure, with Shell and BP both falling more than 1%. BAT dropped over 2%, Rio Tinto declined more than 0.9%, and Unilever slipped around 0.7%. In contrast, HSBC gained about 1.5%, while AstraZeneca rose 1.3% and GSK advanced 1.1%.