The FTSE 100 Index Closes 0.25% Higher

The FTSE 100 rose 0.3% to 10,908 on Wednesday, approaching a record high seen on February 27. Rio Tinto gained around 1.3% after reporting a sharp rise in second-quarter profit and outlining plans to further reduce costs and strengthen cash generation. Standard Chartered advanced 3.8% as the bank posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings and announced a new share buyback. Reckitt was among the top performers, surging 4.3% after quarterly sales exceeded forecasts, following similarly upbeat results from Unilever. Glencore also rose more than 2% after forecasting first-half marketing earnings of roughly $3.3 billion. Oil majors BP and Shell rose 3.4% and 2.8%, respectively, as Brent crude rebounded amid renewed geopolitical tensions. Meanwhile, Aberdeen Group fell more than 4% on weaker first-half fund flows, while St James’s Place slipped 2.3% despite reporting stronger-than-expected assets under management and continued client inflows.

The FTSE 100 Index rose 27 points or 0.25 percent on Wednesday to close at 10898 points. Leading the gains are Weir (8.87%), The Sage Group (8.29%) and Burberry (4.65%). Top losers were Aberdeen Group (-4.26%), Fresnillo (-4.25%) and Diploma (-3.91%).

The FTSE 100 Index is up by 56 points or 0.52 percent on Wednesday. Top gainers are Weir (8.40%), Reckitt Benckiser (5.41%) and Glencore (4.26%). Biggest losses came from Aberdeen Group (-7.00%), Diageo (-1.32%) and Segro (-1.18%).