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
The FTSE 100 Index Opens 0.39% Higher
The FTSE 100 Index is picking up 42 points or 0.39 percent on Monday. Gains are led by Whitbread (3.08%), Rolls-Royce (2.97%) and Vodafone (2.53%). Biggest losers are Shell (-2.15%) and Rentokil Initial (-0.77%).
2026-07-27
FTSE 100 Rises to Near 5-Month High
The FTSE 100 traded 0.5% higher on Monday to its highest level since early March, although it underperformed other major European indexes as declines in heavyweight energy stocks limited gains. Sentiment improved after the US paused its air campaign against Iran for a second consecutive night, while Tehran refrained from retaliatory strikes and continued discussions with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz. The easing geopolitical tensions pushed Brent crude back to below $91 per barrel, weighing on oil producers. Shell fell by around 2% and BP lost about 3.5%. Elsewhere, gains were broad-based, with HSBC rising 0.5%, Rolls-Royce climbing nearly 2%, Rio Tinto adding 2.2%, Unilever gaining 0.5%, and GSK rising 1.2%. Also, AstraZeneca added 1.5% after reporting second-quarter earnings above expectations and reaffirmed its full-year guidance and 2030 targets.
2026-07-27
The FTSE 100 Index Closes 0.93% Higher
The FTSE 100 Index gained 99 points or 0.93 percent on Friday to close at 10738 points. Gains were led by Relx (4.94%), The Sage Group (4.44%) and Experian (4.03%). Biggest losers were Airtel Africa (-3.30%), Vodafone (-1.59%) and BP (-1.36%).
2026-07-24