U.K. stocks ended trading higher on Friday, with sector gains concentrated in Mining, Construction & Materials and Banking helping push the market up at the close.
At the London close, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 index had advanced 0.60%.
Top and bottom movers
The session's strongest performers on the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 included International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. (LON:ICAG), which climbed 4.33% or 18.20 points to finish at 438.50. Fresnillo PLC (LON:FRES) added 3.45% or 122.74 points to close at 3,678.74, while WPP PLC (LON:WPP) rose 2.88% or 7.50 points to end the day at 267.80.
On the downside, Relx PLC (LON:REL) led the laggards, slipping 4.62% or 104.00 points to close at 2,145.00. Sage Group PLC (LON:SGE) fell 3.08% or 26.80 points to 844.40, and Experian PLC (LON:EXPN) declined 2.82% or 73.80 points to 2,547.20.
Market breadth and notable price levels
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the London Stock Exchange by 1,050 to 726, while 532 issues finished unchanged. Shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group reached a five-year high, trading up 4.33% to 438.50 at the close. Relx shares fell to a three-year low, dropping 4.62% to 2,145.00.
Commodities and currencies
In commodities markets, Gold Futures for April delivery were reported up 1.93% or 94.14 to $4,983.64 a troy ounce. Crude oil for March delivery increased 1.47% or 0.93 to $64.22 a barrel, while the April Brent contract rose 1.52% or 1.03 to trade at $68.58 a barrel.
On the currency front, GBP/USD was up 0.54% at 1.36. EUR/GBP was reported unchanged 0.24% at 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.18% at 97.53.
Context and takeaway
The session reflected selective sector strength supporting a modest gain for the broader U.K. index. Mining, Construction & Materials and Banking were highlighted as contributors to the advance, while several large-cap names moved in opposite directions, producing mixed individual results.
Data limitations
The figures presented reflect closing prices, sector moves and select futures and FX quotes for the session. Further detail on intraday drivers or company-specific catalysts was not provided in the available data.