FTSE 100 news overview: Tuesday 20 October 2026

Most positive coverage

Companies with 3+ relevant stories.

1. Aviva +8.7 6 stories
   Coverage was mainly positive, with Berenberg reiterating a Buy rating and highlighting Aviva's chance to win UK retirement assets.
2. LondonMetric Property +8.7 14 stories
   Coverage centred on LondonMetric's half-year results, with net rental income up more than 8% to £240m, a higher dividend and a portfolio reaching £8bn after the Picton takeover.
3. GSK +8.3 37 stories
   Coverage was dominated by FDA approval of Jemperli for a type of rectal cancer, alongside promising early lung cancer data for ris-rez.
4. Antofagasta +7.0 6 stories
   Coverage was mainly about the end of the strike at the Centinela mine after unions ratified a new contract, which is good for operations.
5. NatWest Group +7.0 13 stories
   Coverage focused on Robert Begbie's appointment to lead the bank in its 300th anniversary year, alongside other senior leadership changes.

Most negative coverage

Companies with 3+ relevant stories.

1. Barclays −9.3 12 stories
   Coverage centred on a reported Bank of England examination of whether Barclays traders misrepresented private credit exposures, which dragged the shares and the FTSE 100 lower.
2. Imperial Brands −7.8 9 stories
   Coverage was dominated by Jefferies downgrading Imperial Brands to hold and cutting its price target from GBP35 to GBP27, with German tobacco tax rises cited.
3. IG Group −6.7 3 stories
   Coverage centred on IG Group shares plunging after an outlook cut.
4. Diageo −5.7 11 stories
   Coverage was dominated by reports that India is probing Diageo and Pernod Ricard over Scotch imports under the India-UK trade pact, alongside an apology and an investigation over pollution in a Moray burn.
5. Ithaca Energy −5.5 7 stories
   Coverage was mainly about Ithaca Energy warning it may stop UK investment if the Rosebank project is blocked, repeated across several outlets.

Biggest moves from the day before

• United Utilities −5.5 → +6.3
  Coverage mainly centred on the completed £50m Bury investment to cut sewage spills and improve River Irwell water quality, which reads positively.
• National Grid +4.5 → −5.5
  Coverage leaned negative, with reports of staff accusing bosses of covering up blackout risks and engineers doubting the grid's ability to cope with renewables.
• IG Group +2.0 → −6.7
  Coverage centred on IG Group shares plunging after an outlook cut.
• Unilever −6.2 → +1.3
  Coverage was dominated by the sale of the Welly bandage brand to Forward Consumer Partners, seen as part of an ongoing portfolio reset.
• BAE Systems −2.0 → +5.3
  Coverage was dominated by a Pentagon framework deal to expand APKWS production, plus a Space Force satellite terminals contract, which are clearly positive.
• Whitbread −5.2 → +2.0
  Coverage was split between a UBS forecast upgrade citing stronger trading and an earnings recovery, and a board dispute in which Whitbread urged shareholders to vote against a Corvex partner joining the board.
• Centrica −3.5 → +3.3
  Coverage was mostly about British Gas advertising and Centrica's own AI commentary, which read mildly positively.

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