FTSE 100 Live: Gains spread across London as blue-chips add 0.2% Proactive uses images sourced from Shutterstock
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FTSE 100 rises 0.2% to 10,876
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FTSE 250 and SmallCap indices add 0.1%
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FTSE All-Share advances 0.2%
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AIM All-Share edges 0.1% higher
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Melrose leads blue-chip risers with 9% gain
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JD Sports and Smith & Nephew head fallers
8.15 am: London indices advance across the board
London opened broadly higher, with gains extending beyond the largest companies.
The FTSE 100 added 0.2% to 10,876, while the FTSE 250 rose 0.1% to 24,746. The FTSE 350 and FTSE All-Share gained 0.2% to 5,927 and 5,862 respectively.
Smaller companies also participated. The FTSE SmallCap increased 0.1% to 8,204, while the AIM All-Share edged 0.1% higher to 814.75.
The sector picture was mixed. IAG gained 0.7% as oil prices eased, while Shell fell 0.4%. Antofagasta and Rio Tinto slipped 0.5% and 0.2%, while Anglo American edged higher.
Melrose Industries led the FTSE 100 risers, jumping around 9%. Its GKN Aerospace subsidiary plans to resume full manufacturing at its Garden Grove facility on 28 September, while US authorities have closed a criminal investigation without bringing charges.
The company also announced a claims programme worth up to US$100 million for residents and businesses affected by May’s evacuation.
Other leading risers included Weir Group, up 1.5%, Rolls-Royce and Next, both around 1.3% higher, and Persimmon, up 1.3%.
JD Sports was the leading faller, losing around 1.2%. Smith & Nephew and GSK dropped about 0.9%, while British American Tobacco, 3i Group and Endeavour Mining also declined.
7.15 am: FTSE futures point to positive London opening
September FTSE 100 futures gained 15 points, or 0.14%, to 10,898.5, pointing to a modestly higher start for London.
The contract traded between 10,878.5 and 10,899.5, compared with Monday’s settlement of 10,883.5. The cash FTSE 100 closed Monday 37.76 points higher at 10,854.32.
Bitcoin provided the strongest overnight move, climbing 4.7% to around US$80,700 after reaching US$81,104 – its highest level since May. It has gained approximately 25% over the past week.
Gold eased 0.3% to around $4,640 an ounce but remained on course for its strongest monthly advance since September 1999, having gained approximately 14% during August. Copper slipped 0.2% to $6.59 per pound.
Australia outperformed, with the ASX 200 rising 0.7% to 9,163. WiseTech Global gained 4.1% to A$45.28 and BHP added 0.6% to A$67.51. Woodside Energy fell 0.9% to A$33.17.
Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 0.4% to around 65,800, South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.5% to approximately 6,730 and the Shanghai Composite added 0.2% to 3,890. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.2% to around 25,468.
Wall Street finished mixed. The S&P 500 fell 0.28% and the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.76%, while the Dow Jones gained 0.26%. Nvidia dropped 2.91% ahead of its quarterly results on Wednesday.
Brent crude held near US$92.10 a barrel, down 0.1%, following the latest US sanctions against Iran.