1347 GMT - The U.K.'s FTSE 100 has been one of the top performers among major stock indexes globally in the first half of 2025, helped in part by its exposure to defensive sectors that appeal to investors in uncertain times, AJ Bell's Dan Coatsworth says in a market comment. "Industries including tobacco and telecoms should have steady earnings regardless of what's going on in the world, hence why the likes of British American Tobacco and BT have been among the best performing U.K. shares this year," Coatsworth says. The cheap valuation of the U.K. blue-chip index relative to the U.S. also played to its favor as investors looked to reposition their portfolios, the analyst says. The FTSE 100 is down 0.25%, but remains up 7.1% year to date. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 23, 2025 09:47 ET (13:47 GMT)

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