Market close
U.K. stock benchmarks ended the trading day in negative territory on Wednesday. At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 fell 0.51%.
Sector performance
Losses were concentrated in the Mining, Fixed Line Telecommunications and Food Producers sectors, which collectively contributed to the downward pressure on the index.
Top gainers
- Entain PLC (LON:ENT) led the winners, finishing up 4.88% - a rise of 27.20 points to close at 585.00.
- Barratt Redrow PLC (LON:BTRW) added 3.48%, or 9.00 points, to end the session at 267.30.
- ICG PLC (LON:ICGIN) climbed 3.31%, gaining 57.00 points to finish at 1,781.00.
Largest decliners
- Imperial Brands PLC (LON:IMB) was the weakest performer, down 3.53% or 103.50 points to close at 2,829.50.
- Airtel Africa Plc (LON:AAF) slipped 3.17%, a drop of 11.80 points to 360.80 at the close.
- Fresnillo PLC (LON:FRES) declined 3.03% or 112.00 points to trade at 3,579.00.
Breadth
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the London Stock Exchange, with 930 rising issues versus 848 falling, while 516 stocks finished unchanged.
Commodities
Gold futures for June delivery moved lower, down 0.42% or 20.36 to $4,829.74 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for May delivery rose 0.94% or 0.86 to $92.14 a barrel, and the June Brent contract increased 0.96% or 0.91 to $95.70 a barrel.
FX and dollar index
Major currency pairs were effectively flat in the session. GBP/USD was unchanged, up 0.01% to 1.36, while EUR/GBP was also unchanged, up 0.01% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures eased 0.06% to 97.85.
Note: All price and percent changes reflect the close in London as reported at the end of the trading session.