Thursday Morning Markets: FTSE and European Stocks Mostly Lower Despite Nvidia Earnings Boost, Halfords Surges

London’s blue-chips are trading lower on Thursday morning, with the FTSE 100 down 0.5% and the FTSE 250 off 0.1%, as investors weighed a mixed bag of corporate earnings and geopolitical risks.

On the continent, the picture was similarly muted, with Germany’s DAX added 0.1%, France’s CAC 40 fell 0.3%, while the pan-European Stoxx 50 ticked up 0.1%.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran continued to unsettle traders. Reports indicate President Trump is “not in a hurry” over talks with Iran.

Nevertheless, Brent crude is down 1.2% to $85.93 and WTI is down 1.2% to $81.27, while spot gold has edged up 0.2% to $4,602 as investors sought safe havens.

Corporate news dominated the FTSE 100 morning agenda. Prudential slipped after posting half-year results showing adjusted operating profit up 9% to $1,812m and a 15% dividend hike, alongside a top-up to its share buyback.

AstraZeneca was little moved after Tezspire hit primary endpoints in its Phase III CROSSING trial for eosinophilic esophagitis. PPHE Hotel Group posted steady interim results following its recent strategic review conclusion.

Among risers, Computacenter (+3.84%), Polar Capital Technology Trust (+1.32%) and IG Group (+1.08%) led the FTSE 100.

Among fallers, Glencore (-1.95%) traded ex-dividend today, while LondonMetric Property (-2.05%) and Haleon (-1.90%) lagged.

The standout mid-cap mover is Halfords (+10.79%), after the motoring and cycling retailer upgraded FY27 profit guidance to £55m-£65m, citing strong seasonal trading and warm summer weather.

Bloomsbury Publishing (+4.95%) and Raspberry Pi Holdings (+4.17%) also rallied, while Zigup (-5.20%), SDCL Efficiency Income Trust (-3.18%) and Michael Page (-3.15%) fell.

Overnight, US tech earnings buoyed sentiment stateside, with Salesforce and CrowdStrike both jumped on strong quarterly results, while Nvidia has surged nearly 6% premarket ahead of its results, setting a positive tone for Wall Street later today.