07:42 AM EDT, 05/01/2026 (MT Newswires) -- London's FTSE 100 Index declined 0.5% midday Friday in Europe, while exchanges in Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris and elsewhere on the continent were closed for the May Day observance.

Investors eyed stable Wall Street futures, and higher closes overnight in Sydney and Tokyo, although most Asian exchanges were also shuttered on holiday.

The FTSE 100 through Thursday had notched 13 straight trading days of gains, but investors Friday again faced rising crude prices and interest rates.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 3.03% mid-session, while front-month North Sea Brent crude oil futures were up 0.5% at $110.92 a barrel.