The FTSE 100 gained on Friday as investors reacted to poor UK GDP figures and another record high for US stocks overnight.

London’s leading index was up 0.3% at 9,732 at the time of writing.

Bad news for the UK economy was proving to be good news for UK stocks on Friday, with contracting GDP 0.1% in October giving the Bank of England all the ammunition it needs to cut interest rates next week.

“For markets and policymakers, such data typically heighten expectations for further Bank of England easing,” explained Daniela Hathorn, Senior Market Analyst, Capital.com.

“Market data suggests that they are now more confidently pricing at least a 25-bp rate cut at the next BoE decision, with further easing more likely to come in 2026 given the downside risks to growth and rising unemployment trends flagged by other indicators.”

The FTSE 100 was also given a boost from US equities. A stronger session in London followed a record high for the S&P 500 overnight, driven by banking shares.

“The S&P 500 has hit yet another all-time high to 6,901, as the VIX – the index that measures volatility – fell to a welcome three month low,” said Emma Wall, Chief Investment Strategist, Hargreaves Lansdown.

“The US index hitting a new high is nothing new – but what has driven the market up is a change for the theme that has dominated this year. AI stocks have been the most successful sector of 2025 – and remain so – but sentiment has cooled in the last 48 hours. Instead, financials and materials have boosted market valuations overnight.”

Concerns around AI are unwelcome, but investors will be encouraged to see a little more breadth in US equity gains.

In London, it was more of the same, with Fesnillo and Endeavour Mining topping the leaderboard. Fresnillo is up a whopping 380% so far in 2025, and it’s the FTSE 100’s best performer of the year by far.

Ashtead continued to attract bargain-hunting traders as its rebound from a recent sell-off gathered pace.

Standard Chartered and HSBC rose as the good mood around US banks rubbed off on the pair of globally focused institutions. HSBC, interestingly, is trading at an all-time high.

Card Factory shares tumbled on Friday after it lowered its profit expectations, as challenging conditions on the high street continue to weigh on performance during its crucial Christmas trading period.

The UK’s leading specialist retailer of greeting cards and gifts now anticipates adjusted profit before tax of between £55m and £60m for the full financial year. This would be materially lower than the £66m recorded in the year to 31st July 2025.

The downgrade reflects softer store sales amid heightened pressures on UK consumers, which the company says have dampened confidence and reduced footfall.

The company acknowledged that these headwinds have persisted into its most important trading weeks, which will be a blow to investors.

The acquisition of Funkypigeon will help diversify the company’s revenue channels, but its footprint on the UK high street is expansive, and a continued slowdown will be felt by the firm.

Card Factory shares were down 22% at the time of writing and are at the lowest levels since 2023.

1Spatial has agreed the terms of a 73p per share cash takeover by VertiGIS, a portfolio company of Battery Ventures, valuing the AIM-listed location data specialist at approximately £87.1 million.

The offer represents a 57% premium to the closing price of 46.5 pence on 11 December and a 51.5% premium to the three-month volume weighted average price.

The board is supporting the deal, and shareholders look to be on side. VertiGIS has secured backing from major shareholders representing 33.8% of the issued share capital.

Threadneedle Asset Management, 1Spatial’s largest shareholder with 17.7%, has provided irrevocable undertakings to support the deal, whilst Canaccord Genuity Asset Management, holding 16.1%, has issued a non-binding letter of intent.

The board acknowledged the company’s standalone prospects but considered the offer in light of challenging market conditions for UK small-cap technology firms and capital constraints.

1Spatial said its directors believe private ownership would allow the group to invest more in itself while freeing it from the shackles of an AIM listing.

As one of the UK’s most exciting listed small-cap tech firms, 1Spatial’s departure will be a blow to London’s junior markets.

The FTSE 100 rose on Thursday after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates overnight and announced liquidity-boosting treasury purchases. 

However, the gains were less than convincing as concerns about AI valuation crept back in and curtailed risk appetite. The FTSE 100 was just 0.1% higher at the time of writing.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.25% as expected overnight, in a 9-3 vote that suggests rates could remain at current levels for the foreseeable future.

US stocks surged following the Fed’s instalment, with the S&P 500 closing 0.6% higher at 6,886 – just points away from an all-time high.

The real driver of a bid in US stocks for a short period overnight was the Fed’s decision to start purchasing short-dated Treasury bills to help manage liquidity. News of treasury purchases comes just days after the Fed paused its balance sheet reduction, known as quantitative tightening. 

The effect of both measures will help manage shorter-term interest rates and boost overall market liquidity, which many will see as a reason to buy stocks and other risk assets. 

Unfortunately, any positivity from the Fed was quickly squashed by the reemergence of concerns about AI valuations, as Oracle shares dumped after earnings. S&P 500 futures were pointing to a lower open.

“AI bubble fears are never too far below the surface, as Oracle’s earnings last night proved,” said Chris Beauchamp, Chief Market Analyst at IG.

“Markets had been in a more optimistic mood following the Fed meeting, but once again it is the concern about expenditure among the big tech names that has investors worried. Oracle plans a massive debt surge, adding to the pressure to deliver in coming quarters. September’s euphoria feels like a distant memory for the shares.”

FTSE 100 stocks were split almost 50:50 between gainers and losers on Thursday, with developments in the US providing no catalysts for significant repositioning in either direction.

There was an element of bargain hunting on Thursday, with names such as Ashtead and ConvaTec attracting buyers after recent share price declines. ConvaTec was the top riser, up 2%.

Entain was the top faller after announcing its CFO would step down. Shares were down 3%.

BP and Shell were flat after a short-term spike in oil prices on the US seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker was quickly sold into with traders choosing to focus on the possible reintroduction of Russian oil to the global market.

“Oil prices slipped, with Brent now below $62 a barrel, as hopes for a Ukraine peace plan sparked talk of Russian energy returning to Europe, easing supply fears that flared earlier this week,” explained Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.

“Traders had been rattled after the US intercepted a sanctioned tanker and Ukraine struck a vessel linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, but the mood shifted as OPEC+ output looks set to swamp tepid demand. With fresh reports from OPEC and the IEA due today, all eyes are on whether the market’s bearish tone deepens.”

Recent reports that the Trump administration is considering how to boost the robotics industry came at an opportune time for Tekcapital portfolio company Guident, which is currently preparing to list on the NASDAQ.

Following a major focus on building the United States’ AI capabilities, the US government is now engaging closely with robotic leaders and stoking interest in the sector ahead of any specific actions expected to be revealed next year.

Guident provides autonomous vehicle safety and robot monitoring solutions to the industry, a technology stack that can facilitate broader adoption.

As we all know, the bigger winners from the rise of AI so far have been the ‘picks and shovels’ companies, such as Nvidia, that provide GPUs, data centres, and the power source to facilitate the vast requirements of AI computing.

We could see a similar playbook for robotics and autonomous vehicles.

While much of the market’s attention has been on the latest LLM models, data centres, and how much the hyperscalers are spending on capex, the real-world application of AI in robotics has been quietly building a head of steam.

As mobile robots expand from warehouses into public spaces, the infrastructure enabling remote monitoring and control is emerging as the essential “picks and shovels” play in a market racing toward $124 billion by 2030.

Autonomous mobile robots are forecast to grow from $4.5 billion in 2025 to $9.3 billion by 2030, whilst delivery robots could quadruple from $0.8 billion to $3.2 billion over the same period. Annual shipments are expected to jump from 547,000 units in 2023 to 2.79 million by the decade’s end.

But regulators and insurers have imposed a reality check. California, Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Texas now require or encourage remote operator capabilities for autonomous vehicle deployments.

Florida-based teleoperation provider Guident has already deployed solutions that meet these requirements and is preparing to ramp up the rollout post its proposed NASDAQ IPO.

Guident’s investment case is straightforward: edge cases persist regardless of AI capability, public trust demands human intervention options, liability requires clear oversight protocols, and operational uptime depends on rapid remote resolution when robots encounter obstacles.

Many still fear the ‘Terminator’ scenario where robots act autonomously to harm humans. Guident’s capability to take control of autonomous vehicles and devices will help address these concerns.

Control rooms oversee full autonomy

Remote Monitoring and Control Centers (RMCCs) now function as mission control for distributed robot fleets, combining real-time video streams, sensor data and AI-assisted decision support. Guident’s platform exemplifies the emerging standard: redundant connectivity across terrestrial and satellite networks, distributed sensor fusion to detect risks across multiple vehicles, and human-in-the-loop capabilities allowing operators to provide guidance or assume direct control during anomalies.

The company demonstrated the model’s maturity in June 2025, achieving what it described as the first long-distance remote control of a full-size automated bus in operational transit. In November, Boca Raton launched a driverless shuttle route explicitly managed through Guident’s RMCC platform.

The possible application of robotics and, therefore, Guident’s RMCCs is enormous. Warehouse AMRs require remote intervention when aisles are blocked or unexpected obstacles are encountered.

Pavement delivery bots navigating pedestrian traffic need human assistance at complex crossings. Urban shuttles face construction zones and emergency vehicles. Industrial robots in mining, agriculture, and construction operate beyond reliable network coverage, demanding satellite-backed oversight. Healthcare robots in hospitals require strict protocol enforcement and emergency stop capabilities.

Security robots patrolling facilities with thermal cameras, LiDAR, and access control systems similarly connect to RMCCs, where operators can respond instantly to threats or safety incidents.

As more robots are released into our environment, the risk of accidents increases, underscoring the need for human intervention. Tesla still has human safety monitors in their Robotaxis in Austin. It’s expected these will be removed soon, but it’s very likely some form of human oversight will persist.

The infrastructure economics

RMCC providers operate on recurring revenue models, charging per robot, per mile or per operating hour. Once fleets build safety cases and regulatory approvals around specific platforms, switching costs rise sharply. As supervised robot populations grow, platforms accumulate edge-case data that improves AI assistance, creating competitive moats.

Guident positions its RMCC capability as the enabling infrastructure layer. This is the toolset allowing robots to operate safely whilst learning from human intervention. If robot revenues reach $124 billion by 2030 as forecast, even modest take rates for remote monitoring, connectivity and control software could generate substantial independent markets.

The companies solving these problems at scale won’t simply support robot deployment; they may define the standards that regulators and insurers expect, becoming the invisible operating system beneath autonomous operations worldwide.