Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Futures Weaken On Fresh Retail Inflation Concern

UK stocks were set for a softer start on Thursday, 29 Oct 2026, with FTSE 100 futures pointing lower as concerns about domestic retail inflation returned to the spotlight. The immediate driver was a rise in UK shop price growth: it accelerated to 2.1% year-on-year in October, with food up 2.9% and non-food at 1.7%. That diverged from the broader CPI backdrop of 3.5% in September, prompting investors to reassess how quickly price pressures might cool. Persistent shop inflation could feed into higher borrowing expectations, keeping yields elevated and pressuring rate-sensitive balance sheets. Key UK data on credit and global inflation releases were flagged.