U.K. stocks closed in positive territory on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 Index rising by 0.41% to reach 7,618.60.
Top Performers
- Burberry Group PLC (BRBY) led the gains among the FTSE 100 constituents, witnessing a 2.78% increase in its share price.
- Croda International PLC (CRDA) and Flutter Entertainment PLC (FLTR), both in the chemicals and gambling industries respectively, also experienced considerable gains, with their shares rising by 2.77% and 2.47% respectively.
- Prudential PLC (PRU), a leading life insurance company, and Persimmon PLC (PSN), involved in residential building construction, rounded out the top five gainers, with their stocks increasing by 2.26% and 2.23% respectively.
Top Losers
- Spirax-Sarco Engineering PLC (SPX), a technical services company, reported the largest decline among the FTSE 100 constituents, with its shares falling by 2.35%.
- Precious metals firm Fresnillo PLC (FRES) and non-ferrous metals company Antofagasta PLC (ANTO) saw their stock prices drop by 1.59% and 1.52% respectively.
- Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (RR) and BAE Systems PLC (BA), both operating in the aerospace and defense sectors, completed the list of top five decliners, with their stocks declining by 0.62% and 0.58% respectively.
Currency and Commodity Update
- The pound was slightly up against the dollar, rising by 0.08% to $1.2727. However, it declined by 0.32% against the euro, reaching €1.1550.
- Brent crude, a benchmark for oil prices, experienced a 0.6% decline, settling at $87.05.
- The yield on the 10-year gilt, a fixed-interest debt security issued by the U.K. government, fell by 0.100 basis points to 4.368%.