U.K. equities ended the trading day lower on Thursday, pressured by sector declines in mining, aerospace & defense and industrial metals & mining. At the close in London the United Kingdom 100 was down 1.39%.
Gains were concentrated in a few names despite the broader retreat. The best performers on the United Kingdom 100 were Rentokil Initial PLC (LON:RTO), which advanced 10.74% - up 45.70 points to finish at 471.20; Admiral Group PLC (LON:ADML), which climbed 7.62% or 218.00 points to close at 3,078.00; and WPP PLC (LON:WPP), which rose 6.59% or 16.80 points to end the session at 271.90.
On the other side of the ledger, several stocks posted notable declines. 3I Group PLC (LON:III) slipped 8.10% or 258.00 points to close at 2,929.00, marking a move to a 52-week low. Fresnillo PLC (LON:FRES) fell 7.27% or 280.00 points to finish at 3,572.00, and Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (LON:RKT) declined 5.79% or 350.00 points to settle at 5,700.00.
Market breadth was negative at the close. Declining issues on the London Stock Exchange outnumbered advancers by 1,037 to 734, while 531 stocks finished unchanged.
Commodity markets moved alongside the equity weakness. Gold futures for April delivery were down 0.81% or 41.70 to $5,093.00 a troy ounce. In energy markets crude oil for April delivery rose 6.63% or 4.95 to $79.61 a barrel, while the May Brent contract gained 3.97% or 3.23 to trade at $84.63 a barrel.
Currency markets showed the British pound under pressure against the U.S. dollar. GBP/USD was down 0.43% to 1.33, while EUR/GBP was effectively unchanged - moving 0.06% to 0.87. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures was firmer, up 0.54% at 99.26.
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Market close snapshot
- United Kingdom 100 -1.39% at the close
- Leading gainers: Rentokil Initial (LON:RTO), Admiral Group (LON:ADML), WPP (LON:WPP)
- Largest decliners: 3I Group (LON:III), Fresnillo (LON:FRES), Reckitt Benckiser (LON:RKT)
- Decliners vs advancers: 1,037 vs 734; 531 unchanged
This session highlighted concentrated stock-level strength amid a broader sector-led pullback, while moves in gold, crude oil and major currency pairs accompanied the equity flow.