The FTSE 100 Index Opens 0.22% Higher

The FTSE 100 edged slightly higher on Thursday but remained largely unchanged for a sixth straight session as investors weighed an uncertain outlook for the Iran conflict and ongoing peace talks. On the economic front, the UK economy grew 0.5% in February, well above expectations of 0.1%. Tesco gained more than 3% after reporting solid sales and profit growth, announcing a £500 million buyback and widening its guidance range due to geopolitical uncertainty. Entain rose over 4% after maintaining its outlook for net gaming revenue growth. Mining stocks also advanced, with Rio Tinto up 2.2% and Anglo American gaining 1.6% following strong Chinese data. On the downside, EasyJet fell more than 1.5% after a cautious trading update citing uncertainty from the Middle East conflict, while Rentokil slipped around 1% despite maintaining its annual guidance after steady first quarter performance.

The FTSE 100 Index is up by 23 points or 0.22 percent on Thursday. Top gainers are Entain (4.17%), Tesco (3.04%) and Halma (2.83%). Biggest losses came from Unite Group (-2.53%), Airtel Africa (-1.83%) and Vodafone (-1.59%).

The FTSE 100 declined on Wednesday as investors remained cautious ahead of further developments on Middle East peace talks. Most heavyweight stocks moved lower, with Rolls Royce and GSK falling more than 2%, Rio Tinto down 0.8%, and Shell and BAT slipping around 0.7%, while AstraZeneca and BP eased about 0.5%. Burberry also dropped nearly 2% following weak results from luxury peers, adding pressure to the sector. On the upside, Barratt Redrow climbed around 3.8%, stating that the immediate impact of the conflict is limited, though it warned of longer term uncertainty linked to interest rates and rising energy costs, while highlighting steady demand and a solid sales pipeline. Antofagasta edged up 0.5% after reaffirming its production outlook and positive medium term copper fundamentals, and Entain gained more than 4.5% amid ongoing acquisition developments.