The FTSE 100 is up 1% in early trading on Thursday, with the FTSE 250 also 1% higher. Elsewhere in Europe, the DAX is up 0.5%, the CAC 40 has climbed 1.3%, and the Stoxx 50 has advanced 0.8%.
Spot gold is up 1.6% at $4,123, Brent is 0.8% higher at $95.34, and GBP/USD is up 0.1% at 1.3473.
BT Group leads the FTSE 100, up 6.61% at 246.70p after half-year results. Profit before tax rose 12% to £1,071m and revenue rose 1% to £8,753m, though normalised free cash flow fell 59% to £236m. Chief executive Allison Kirkby said BT “delivered a strong first half”, and full-year guidance was reconfirmed.
Endeavour Mining is up 6.17% at 4,010.50p and Fresnillo up 5.11% at 2,573.00p.
Among the fallers, Ithaca Energy is down 4.03%, and BAE Systems has fallen 4.02%. Computacenter is off 2.53%.
Autotrader is down 2.24% after releasing its half-year results.
Meanwhile, Shell is down 1.84%, and BP has declined 1.63%, with energy stocks lower given the fall in oil prices since the US midterms result.
In the FTSE 250, Morgan Sindall is up 7.15%, Morgan Advanced Materials 7.14% and RS Group 6.18%. EnQuest is down 4.67%, Schroder Oriental Income Fund 4.35% and Harbour Energy 4.21%.
In the Middle East, the UKMTO said a tanker was struck by two unidentified projectiles off Qatar, with damage unconfirmed. It was also reported that Democratic leaders want ending the Iran war to be an early priority when Congress convenes in January.
Other updates
Metlen reported nine-month revenue up 21% to a record €6,212m and reaffirmed its full-year EBITDA guidance.
BP sold 5% of its Aker BP holding and now expects about $9bn of 2026 divestment proceeds.
National Grid expects 2026/27 underlying EPS growth of 15-16% after half-year underlying EPS rose 22%.
Vistry said Open Market conditions remain “difficult and similar” to September and is cutting operating regions from 25 to 12.
M&G reported third-quarter net inflows of £1.8bn from its open business.
AskTraders Stocks to Watch Today
Disclaimer: These picks are AI-generated and for information only. They are not financial advice.
Three London-listed shares showed strong momentum at Wednesday’s close, according to AskTraders’ AI-generated screen.
Marks and Spencer (LSE: MKS) rose 6.4% to 440.7p, reaching a 52-week high following its half-year results on Wednesday. The move broke out of its recent trading range on unusually heavy volume.
Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN.) gained 6.5% to 1,190p, its largest one-day rise in six months after it released its third-quarter update on Wednesday. It also broke out of its range on above-normal volume.
MONY Group (LSE: MONY) climbed 5.7% to 217.2p, another 52-week high and a range breakout.