United Kingdom: FTSE 100 Trades Cautiously Higher Ahead BoE Decision.

The FTSE 100 traded flat to slightly higher on Thursday as investors awaited the Bank of England’s decision later today and digested the Fed’s quarter-point cut. While the Fed delivered as expected, it signaled caution against an aggressive easing cycle, though it still sees room for two more cuts this year amid labor market weakness. A stronger dollar lifted big multinationals, but retailer Next weighed on the index, tumbling over 6% after a rare report without a guidance upgrade. Despite first-half sales rising 10% and profit 14% - both ahead of estimates - Next stuck to its annual guidance and warned second-half growth would slow. The company cited weakening employment and sluggish UK growth as reasons for caution, even as it announced a dividend increase.