FTSE 100 Rises as Informa Acquires Clarion Events

The FTSE 100 index rose 0.44% to 10,602.25 on Tuesday, supported by gains in mining and financial stocks. Informa drove significant market activity by announcing a £2.24 billion cash acquisition of Clarion Events from Blackstone Inc., causing its own shares to jump 3.7%.

Global markets, including major US and European indices, trended upward as Brent crude oil prices fell below $100 per barrel. This decline followed reports that Saudi-backed Yemeni forces recaptured the port town of Mocha and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, reopening a critical shipping link between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline are also recovering.

In the United Kingdom, defense stocks such as BAE Systems and QinetiQ declined amid reports that Prime Minister Andy Burnham may delay the government's defense spending review until autumn 2027. Simultaneously, Chancellor John Healey met with major banks to discuss the national fiscal position, though he has not yet determined if the banking sector will face new taxes in the upcoming budget.

Other corporate developments included a plunge in Asos shares following a confirmed cyber attack. In economic data, the S&P Global UK Construction PMI rose to 46.1 in September from 44.3 in August, representing the slowest decline in output since January, though the figure missed expectations of 45.2.