FTSE 100 Rises on Thursday

The FTSE 100 advanced more than 0.5% on Thursday, aligning with broader European markets. Gains were primarily driven by a global rebound in technology sentiment, strong corporate updates, and renewed takeover activity. HSBC rose 1.1%, 3i jumped 11.5%, and AstraZeneca gained 1.1%, alongside broader support from banking, mining, and consumer equities. Budget airline operator EasyJet climbed over 6% after rejecting a fourth takeover proposal from investment firm Castlelake while simultaneously extending the deadline for potential future offers. Financial giant Barclays also advanced nearly 3% following announcements that its US division exceeded mandatory capital thresholds in recent Federal Reserve stress tests. Conversely, energy majors Shell and BP finished lower, pressured by a volatile oil market that traded down for most of the session before recovering late in the UK schedule on renewed concerns over Strait of Hormuz flows.

The FTSE 100 Index went up by 74 points or 0.71 percent on Thursday to close at 10536 points. The rise was led by 3i (11.04%), Easyjet Plc (6.50%) and Barratt Redrow (4.79%). On the downside, the weakerst performers were London Stock Exchange (-2.39%), United Utilities (-2.11%) and B&M European Value (-1.85%).

The FTSE 100 traded mostly flat on Thursday, dragged down by energy companies and missing out on a broader European market bounce led by the technology sector. International benchmark Brent oil erased all of its gains from the Middle East conflict as crude flows steadily improved through the Strait of Hormuz. This downward commodity pressure weighed directly on energy producers, causing BP to slide 0.6% and Shell to drop 0.8%. Conversely, airline operator EasyJet advanced over 5% after rejecting a fourth takeover bid from investment firm Castlelake while extending the deadline for potential future proposals. Financial giant Barclays also gained more than 1% following news that its US unit exceeded mandatory capital thresholds in recent Federal Reserve stress tests. Meanwhile, a broader boost in global market sentiment fueled by strong earnings from chipmaker Micron had little impact on the UK index due to its minimal tech representation.