The FTSE 100 Index Closes 0.15% Higher

The FTSE 100 Index rose 16 points or 0.15 percent on Wednesday to close at 10896 points. Leading the gains are Endeavour (5.34%), NEXT (5.25%) and Fresnillo (4.11%). Top losers were Prudential (-6.58%), HSBC Holdings (-4.56%) and Vodafone (-2.48%).

The FTSE 100 added 0.3% on Wednesday, extending a 0.2% gain on Tuesday, as optimism over a potential US-Iran agreement supported investor sentiment. US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were moving along very nicely and that more clarity could come within 48 hours, while Qatar announced that a proposal concerning the Strait of Hormuz had been drafted. Corporate earnings also lifted the index. Next surged more than 5% after once again raising its full-year profit guidance. Glencore gained more than 3.5% after reporting an 86% year-on-year increase in adjusted profit and announcing an $0.085-per-share special cash distribution alongside a $500 million share buyback. Coca-Cola HBC climbed over 4% after reporting better-than-expected first-half sales and upgrading its full-year organic revenue growth outlook. Legal & General rose 0.7% after reporting results broadly in line with expectations, while HSBC fell more than 4% following its latest earnings release.

The FTSE 100 traded 0.4% higher on Wednesday, extending the previous session’s advance as optimism over a potential US-Iran agreement supported investor sentiment. US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were moving along very nicely and that more clarity could come within 48 hours, while Qatar announced that a proposal concerning the Strait of Hormuz had been drafted. Corporate earnings also lifted the index. Next surged around 7% after once again raising its full-year profit guidance. Glencore gained more than 4% after reporting an 86% year-on-year increase in adjusted profit and announcing an $0.085-per-share special cash distribution alongside a $500 million share buyback. Coca-Cola HBC climbed over 3% after reporting better-than-expected first-half sales and upgrading its full-year organic revenue growth outlook. Legal & General edged higher after reporting results broadly in line with expectations, while HSBC fell more than 2% following its latest earnings release.