London's equity market finished the session higher on Thursday, with broad sector strength concentrated in Mining, Aerospace & Defense and Gas, Water & Multiutilities pushing the headline index upward.
At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 was up 1.54%.
The day’s top performers on the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 included United Utilities Group PLC (LON:UU), which jumped 11.05% - an increase of 145.00 points - to finish at 1,457.00. Severn Trent PLC (LON:SVT) added 7.29%, gaining 222.00 points to close at 3,269.00. Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LON:RR) rose 6.49%, or 71.28 points, to end the session at 1,169.88.
On the downside, Whitbread PLC (LON:WTB) was the weakest performer, slipping 6.33% - a decline of 151.00 points - to close at 2,234.00. Smurfit WestRock PLC (LON:SWR) fell 5.89%, or 174.00 points, to 2,778.00, and DCC plc (LON:DCC) declined 5.78%, down 340.00 points, to finish at 5,540.00.
Market breadth favored advancing stocks: on the London Stock Exchange rising issues outnumbered decliners by 1,107 to 625, with 561 shares unchanged at the close.
United Utilities reached an all-time high, closing at 1,457.00 after the 11.05% gain. By contrast, Whitbread fell to a five-year low of 2,234.00 following its 6.33% drop.
Commodities and foreign exchange markets moved alongside equities. Gold Futures for June delivery increased 1.44% - up 65.76 - to trade at $4,627.26 a troy ounce. In oil markets, June delivery crude fell 2.36% - down $2.52 - to $104.36 a barrel, while the July Brent contract slid 0.54%, losing $0.60 to trade at $109.84 a barrel.
Currency moves included GBP/USD rising 0.83% to 1.36, and EUR/GBP unchanged at 0.33% to 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures was lower by 0.84%, trading at 98.00.
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