The FTSE 100 Index Closes 0.10% Higher

The FTSE 100 Index rose 10 points or 0.10 percent on Wednesday to close at 10719 points. Leading the gains are BP (2.82%), Relx (2.16%) and Babcock International (1.92%). Top losers were JD Sports Fashion (-3.56%), Fresnillo (-2.87%) and Entain (-2.77%).

The FTSE 100 edged up on Wednesday, outperforming its European peers thanks to gains in energy shares. Oil majors Shell and BP rose 1.8% and 2.8%, respectively, due to a renewed advance in oil prices. Defence stocks also performed well, with aerospace company BAE Systems up 1.9%, submarine contractor Babcock climbing 2.6%, and engine-maker Rolls-Royce rising 1.3%. On the other hand, JD Sports tumbled more than 3% after maintaining its guidance, and trimming its outlook last month amid weakness in the trainer market. Diageo fell around 0.8% after appointing Joanne Wilson, currently CFO of WPP, as its new chief financial officer from 2027. Meanwhile, Airtel Money confirmed plans for a London listing that could become the city’s largest IPO since 2021. On the data front, the UK Composite PMI eased to 51.7 in September, slightly under market expectations of 52.

The FTSE 100 Index is up by 30 points or 0.28 percent on Wednesday. Top gainers are Rentokil Initial (2.15%), Babcock International (1.41%) and The Sage Group (1.35%). Biggest losses came from Spirax-Sarco Engineering (-1.86%), Vodafone (-1.72%) and Smiths (-1.44%).