Published August 17, 2026 Updated about 4 hours ago LONDON: London’s FTSE 100 closed lower on Friday as miners retreated alongside a dip in copper prices, though software and data companies rebounded after the report of a large deal in the sector. The blue-chip FTSE 100 dipped 0.2 percent to 10,750.11 points to register its first weekly decline since early July. The midcap FTSE 250 edged up 0.1 percent to 24,867.42 points, ending the week largely flat. Shares of miner Antofagasta dropped almost 4.6 percent, down sharply for the second consecutive day after its production outlook disappointed on Thursday and copper prices fell after a recent rally. The FTSE 350 industrial metal and mining index registered a 4.1 percent drop this week, marking its weakest weekly performance since late June. Among gainers, shares of Sage Group, Experian and RELX climbed 1.4 percent to 4.4 percent, respectively, after Reuters reported private equity firm Silver Lake was in talks to acquire US software firm Workday, lifting the sector. Global stocks traded just below record highs as benign US inflation data this week tempered expectations of Federal Reserve interest rate hikes this year. Still, a lack of progress…