(Alliance News) - London's FTSE 100 is called to open slightly higher on Friday, as event in the Middle East, where the Strait of Hormuz remains in focus, and a US inflation reading in the spotlight as the week winds down.
IG says futures indicate the FTSE 100 to open 21.9 points higher, 0.2% at 10,625.38 on Friday. The index of London large-caps edged down 5.40 points, 0.1% at 10,603.48 on Thursday.
The pound bought USD1.3419 early Friday, down from USD1.3437 at the time of the London equities close on Thursday. Against the euro, it fetched EUR1.1479, fading from EUR1.1484.
The euro stood at USD1.1691, down from USD1.1705. Against the yen, the dollar was buying JPY159.23, up from JPY158.97.
A barrel of Brent fell to USD96.92 on Friday, from USD97.36 late Thursday.
Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in his latest written message the Islamic republic did not want war with the US and Israel, but would protect its rights as a nation, state television reported Thursday.
"We did not seek war and we do not want it," he said in the message read out on state TV, weeks after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on February 28, the first day of the war.
"But we will not renounce our legitimate rights under any circumstances, and in this respect, we consider the entire resistance front as a whole," he added, in an apparent reference to Lebanon where Israel is fighting with Tehran's ally Hezbollah.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday warned Iran against imposing a toll for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran agreed to reopen the crucial route as part of a two-week ceasefire.
"There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait – They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
In a second message just a few minutes later, Trump added that "very quickly, you'll see oil start flowing, with or without the help of Iran."
The US leader kept up his barrages of social media posts with another that accused Tehran of "doing a very poor job, dishonourable some would say, of allowing oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz."
"That is not the agreement we have!" Trump added.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday that officials would release an extra 20 days' worth of oil reserves from next month.
The country began tapping its stockpiles, the world's largest, in March as the government looked to temper a spike in prices caused by the hit to supply from the Middle East war.
"To ensure the stable supply of crude oil, we will release starting in early May the equivalent of roughly 20 days' worth (of oil) from the national reserves," she said at a meeting held in response to the conflict in the Middle East.
It will be the second release from the state oil reserves, while it has also tapped 15 days worth of private-sector petroleum stockpiles.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up 1.9% on Friday. The Shanghai Composite was 0.7% higher. The Hang Seng Index was also up 0.7%. Sydney's S&P/ASX 200 was 0.2% lower.
China's consumer price inflation rate cooled in March but producer prices swung back to growth, official data showed Friday.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the consumer price index rose 1.0% year-on-year in March, easing from a 1.3% increase in February and missing the 1.2% rise consensus forecast cited by FXStreet.
Meanwhile, the producer price index rose 0.5% on-year in March, after a 0.9% fall in February and ahead of the FXStreet-cited consensus forecast of 0.4% rise.
In the US on Thursday, Wall Street ended higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.6%, the S&P 500 up 0.6% and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.8%.
The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was steady at 4.30%. The 30-year yield stretched to 4.90% from 4.89%.
Gold traded at USD4,766.21 an ounce early Friday, down from USD4,791.50 late Thursday.
Friday's global economic calendar has US CPI figures at 1330 BST.
Friday's domestic corporate calendar has a trading update from student accommodation provider, Unite Group.
By Eric Cunha, Alliance News news editor
Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com
Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.



