FTSE 100 movers: Software firms recover; Vodafone in the red

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was down 0.6% at 10,339.77 in afternoon trade on Thursday. Software firms LSEG, Relx, Experian and Sage Group were among the top performers as they recovered from the heavy selloff seen in the two previous sessions on worries about the impact of AI.

Entain lost ground, having surged on Wednesday after it said that BetMGM, its joint venture with MGM Resorts, performed ahead of expectations in 2025. The performance reflected the benefit of a full year of strategic initiatives, which drove strong underlying growth in both iGaming and Online Sports, Entain said.

Vodafone slumped as it said it expected full-year earnings to be at the upper end of forecasts, but German growth at the telecoms operator disappointed.

Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell, said: "Recent news had given investors hope the problems in Vodafone's largest market - Germany - were behind it. However, its third-quarter update offered a serving of schadenfreude for its detractors as German growth slipped to a trickle.

"This overshadowed a more robust performance elsewhere and raised questions about whether the regulatory-driven issues in the German market were truly behind the company. If November's first dividend hike in seven years gave a signal that Vodafone's recovery, following years of stagnation, was finally in motion that signal feels patchier today.

"Vodafone may still be on track to deliver full-year profit and cash at the upper end of guidance, and the integration of Three UK may be progressing as planned but after an extended period of regular disappointments, shareholders can be forgiven for being cynical."

Hikma Pharmaceuticals was also weaker after Brookfield confirmed after the close on Wednesday that it does not plan on making an offer for the company.

FTSE 100 - Risers

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) 7,616.00p 6.22% Relx plc (REL) 2,272.00p 3.98% GSK (GSK) 2,159.00p 3.80% Experian (EXPN) 2,621.00p 2.95% The Sage Group (SGE) 866.40p 2.48% Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (PSH) 4,638.00p 2.16% Weir Group (WEIR) 3,394.00p 1.56% Halma (HLMA) 3,554.00p 1.48% AstraZeneca (AZN) 13,996.00p 1.45% Reckitt Benckiser Group (RKT) 6,359.00p 1.35%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Entain (ENT) 610.80p -5.74% Vodafone Group (VOD) 108.90p -4.77% Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,561.00p -4.35% Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 107.20p -4.33% NATWEST GROUP (NWG) 667.00p -3.56% Ashtead Group (AHT) 4,846.00p -3.35% Flutter Entertainment (DI) (FLTR) 11,220.00p -3.32% Glencore (GLEN) 495.75p -3.02% Shell (SHEL) 2,788.50p -2.74% Kingfisher (KGF) 338.40p -2.73%