The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.3% to 10,921.64 points by 0942 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 0.1% to 24,663.72 points
International News via Reuters:
The UK’s main stock indexes edged higher on Thursday, bucking the weakness in Asian markets, as strong earnings from companies, including Persimmon and WPP, lifted sentiment.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.3% to 10,921.64 points by 0942 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 0.1% to 24,663.72 points.
• Persimmon climbed 3.6% after the housebuilder forecast annual home deliveries at the top end of its range, while insurer Admiral jumped 4.6% after its first-half results and share buyback announcement.
• Among the midcap stocks, WPP soared 26%, on track for its biggest single-day percentage gain in over three decades, after the ad firm said the trajectory had improved in recent months, even as it reported a 4.7% drop in first-half adjusted revenue.
• Asian stocks and U.S. Nasdaq futures came under pressure as turbulence in the chip sector persisted, though broader European markets were at record highs.
• Oil prices edged higher as uncertainty over Iran-Oman talks to end five months of war between Iran and the United States, as well as reports of attacks on Saudi tankers in key shipping routes, stoked supply concerns. [O/R]
• Investors are awaiting U.S. non-farm payrolls data on Friday for clues on the health of the labour market and interest rate trajectory.
• The downturn in Britain’s construction industry eased in July as commercial building and housebuilding weakened less sharply, with builder optimism hitting its highest level since before the Iran war, a survey by S&P Global showed.
• An index of British housebuilders added 1.2%.
• Among other movers, real estate investment trust Tritax Big Box REIT dropped 4%, becoming the top decliner in the FTSE 100, after it placed a £350 million share sale at £1.64 a share.
• Hikma Pharmaceuticals rose 9% after it reported a 9% rise in half-year core operating profit and maintained its annual outlook.
Reporting by Anand Gopal and Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore
