The FTSE 100 Index Opens 0.49% Lower

The FTSE 100 rose 0.4% on Thursday, extending the previous session’s 0.3% gain, supported by strength in financial and mining stocks. HSBC Holdings advanced more than 2%, while Lloyds Banking and Barclays gained around 0.7% each. Standard Chartered climbed nearly 3.6% and NatWest also moved higher. Mining shares also contributed, with Rio Tinto rising about 1.6%, Glencore up 1.9%, Anglo American adding around 2.5%, and Antofagasta and Fresnillo gaining more than 1%. Intertek shares increased more than 1.5% after the testing and inspection group extended the deadline for potential bidders to submit final offers to June 18. In contrast, Halma fell nearly 16% despite reporting higher annual profits and a strong start to the new financial year. Elsewhere, Wizz Air posted profit growth slightly ahead of expectations despite disruption to Middle East routes. Frasers Group also made a €2 billion offer to acquire the remaining stake in Hugo Boss, offering €38 per share.

The FTSE 100 Index went up by 50 points or 0.49 percent on Thursday to close at 10305 points. The rise was led by Standard Chartered (3.55%), Prudential (2.75%) and Easyjet Plc (2.67%). On the downside, the weakerst performers were Halma (-15.94%), The Sage Group (-5.03%) and Intermediate Capital (-4.44%).

The FTSE 100 traded higher on Thursday, extending the previous session’s 0.3% gain, supported by strength in financial and mining stocks. HSBC Holdings advanced more than 2%, while Lloyds Banking and Barclays gained around 0.7% each. Standard Chartered climbed nearly 3% and NatWest also moved higher. Mining shares also contributed, with Rio Tinto rising about 1.6%, Glencore up 1%, Anglo American and Antofagasta adding around 2%, and Fresnillo gaining 2.5%. Intertek shares increased more than 2.5% after the testing and inspection group extended the deadline for potential bidders to submit final offers to June 18. In contrast, Halma fell more than 11% despite reporting higher annual profits and a strong start to the new financial year. Elsewhere, Wizz Air posted profit growth slightly ahead of expectations despite disruption to Middle East routes. Frasers Group also made a €2 billion offer to acquire the remaining stake in Hugo Boss, offering €38 per share.