周四，富时100指数持平，小幅上涨，投资者等待英格兰银行今天晚些时候的决定，并消化了美联储25个基点的降息。尽管美联储按预期行事，但它表示对激进的宽松周期持谨慎态度，尽管在劳动力市场疲软的情况下，今年仍有两次降息的空间。美元走强提振了大型跨国公司，但零售商Next拖累了该指数，在一份罕见的报告没有上调指导后下跌了6%以上。尽管上半年销售额增长了10%，利润增长了14%，均高于预期，但Next仍坚持其年度指导方针，并警告下半年增长将放缓。该公司表示，尽管宣布增加股息，但就业疲软和英国经济增长缓慢仍是谨慎的原因。

The FTSE 100 traded flat to slightly higher on Thursday as investors awaited the Bank of England’s decision later today and digested the Fed’s quarter-point cut. While the Fed delivered as expected, it signaled caution against an aggressive easing cycle, though it still sees room for two more cuts this year amid labor market weakness. A stronger dollar lifted big multinationals, but retailer Next weighed on the index, tumbling over 6% after a rare report without a guidance upgrade. Despite first-half sales rising 10% and profit 14%—both ahead of estimates—Next stuck to its annual guidance and warned second-half growth would slow. The company cited weakening employment and sluggish UK growth as reasons for caution, even as it announced a dividend increase.