FTSE 100 Climbs on Thursday

2026-04-16 15:24 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

The FTSE 100 moved higher on Thursday as investors looked for progress toward a longer-term peace deal in the Middle East.

Energy stocks led gains with BP rising around 3.6% and Shell adding 1.2% as crude climbed back above $97 per barrel.

Also, Rio Tinto was up 1.8%, and Anglo American gained 0.6% following strong Chinese data.

Tesco rose close to 4% after posting solid sales and profit growth, announcing a £500 million buyback and widening its guidance amid geopolitical uncertainty, while Entain gained more than 6% after reaffirming its outlook.

On the downside, EasyJet dropped over 5% after a cautious update linked to the conflict, and Rentokil slipped about 1.3% despite steady results.

Defence stocks also weakened, with Rolls-Royce down more than 2.5% and BAE Systems falling 1.2%.

Meanwhile, data showed UK GDP grew 0.5% in February, well above expectations of 0.1%.



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The FTSE 100 moved higher on Thursday as investors looked for progress toward a longer-term peace deal in the Middle East. Energy stocks led gains with BP rising around 3.6% and Shell adding 1.2% as crude climbed back above $97 per barrel. Also, Rio Tinto was up 1.8%, and Anglo American gained 0.6% following strong Chinese data. Tesco rose close to 4% after posting solid sales and profit growth, announcing a £500 million buyback and widening its guidance amid geopolitical uncertainty, while Entain gained more than 6% after reaffirming its outlook. On the downside, EasyJet dropped over 5% after a cautious update linked to the conflict, and Rentokil slipped about 1.3% despite steady results. Defence stocks also weakened, with Rolls-Royce down more than 2.5% and BAE Systems falling 1.2%. Meanwhile, data showed UK GDP grew 0.5% in February, well above expectations of 0.1%.
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