UK Stocks Close Marginally Higher

2026-05-21 16:19 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

The FTSE 100 inched higher to 10,443 on Thursday despite renewed Middle East worries and poor economic data.

Oil prices rose after reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader has ordered that near-weapons-grade uranium must remain inside the country, dampening hopes for a near-term breakthrough in negotiations.

Meanwhile, UK factory orders contracted at their fastest pace since September 2020 in May, as surging selling prices driven by the war added to inflation concerns.

In equities, top gainers included 3iGroup (3.3%),alongside utilities like SSE (3.1%), ICG (2.9%), Babcock International (2.6%), Centrica (2.2%) and National Grid (1.9%).

Autotrader led losses, slipping nearly 9%, after reporting full-year results and guidance below market expectations.

Convatec fell nearly 5%, after the company's four-month business update showed slowing organic revenue growth.

EasyJet shares recovered and rose 0.9%, on the company's business plans after reporting a sharply wider first-half loss.



News Stream
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