Shares in London finished the trading day lower on Thursday as weakness in Software & Computer Services, Oil & Gas Producers and Aerospace & Defense weighed on the broader market. At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 was down 1.58%.
Among individual movers, JD Sports Fashion PLC (LON:JD) was the session's top gainer on the index, advancing 7.07% - up 4.81 points to finish at 72.81. Precious metals miner Fresnillo PLC (LON:FRES) added 5.81%, a rise of 201.00 points to close at 3,663.00. Insurer Hiscox Ltd (LON:HSX) also posted a strong result, climbing 5.42% or 84.00 points to end the day at 1,634.00.
On the downside, Relx PLC (LON:REL) led declines on the index, sliding 6.21% - down 163.00 points to 2,462.00 at the close. Energy and utilities exposure left Centrica PLC (LON:CNA) 5.16% lower, a fall of 10.80 points to 198.70. Admiral Group PLC (LON:ADML) also underperformed, falling 4.92% or 163.80 points to 3,165.00.
Market breadth was mixed. On the London Stock Exchange, rising issues narrowly outnumbered decliners, with 896 stocks up against 860 stocks down, while 528 shares finished unchanged.
Hiscox reached a multi-year high during the trading session, with the stock climbing to a five-year peak as it closed 5.42% higher at 1,634.00.
Commodity markets were varied on the day. Gold futures for June delivery rose 0.75% or 35.29 to trade at 4,729.59 per troy ounce. In energy markets, U.S. crude for June delivery fell 1.28% or 1.22 to $93.86 a barrel, and the July Brent contract lost 1.60% or 1.62 to settle at $99.65 a barrel.
Currency markets were relatively steady. The pound against the U.S. dollar (GBP/USD) was essentially unchanged, edging 0.04% to 1.36, while the euro-to-pound rate (EUR/GBP) saw a marginal 0.06% move to 0.86. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures edged down 0.02% to 97.86.
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Thursday's session left investors with a clear picture of sector leadership and weakness. While mining and specialist retail names posted gains, technology-related and energy-linked groups were important drags on the headline index.