BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - U.K.'s equity benchmark index FTSE 100 climbed to a fresh record high on Friday, led by gains in mining and financials sector stocks. Strong earnings updates and easing concerns about AI infrastructure spending helped lift sentiment.
The FTSE 100, which advanced to 10,991.07, was up 34.20 points or 0.31% at 10,931.47 nearly half an hour past noon.
Natwest Group climbed 5.5% on strong second-quarter earnings. Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders in the second-quarter was 1.603 billion pounds, up 29.7% from 1.236 billion pounds a year ago. Basic earnings per share grew to 20.1 pence from 15.3 pence a year ago.
Among miners, Anglo American Plc moved up 3.2%. Antofagasta, Rio Tinto and Glencore gained 2.2%, 2.1% and 1.9%, respectively. Endeavour Mining gained 1.1%, while Fresnillo climbed 0.5%.
Polar Capital Technology Trust gained 4.1%. BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Sainsbury (J), Scottish Mortgage, Metlen Energy & Metals, 3i Group, Shell, National Grid, F&C Investment Trust, Diploma, Halma, SSE and Alliance Witan advanced 1%-3%.
Property listing firm Rightmove rose 1.3% on share buyback news.
IG Group Holdings tanked nearly 11% after the company announced a $1.3 billion acquisition of U.S. fantasy sports and prediction-markets operator, Underdog. IG Group also announced that it would pause its share buyback programme.
GKN Aerospace owner Melrose Industries dropped 4.1% after it warned of additional exceptional costs linked to chemical tank incident at its Garden Grove facility in the United States.
Airtel Africa, JD Sports Fashion, Pearson, BT Group, Entain, Vodafone Group, Relx, Unilever, Smith & Nephew, Reckitt Benckiser, Compass Group and Experian lost 1.6%-2.7%.
In economic news, data from mortgage lender Nationwide Building Society showed U.K. house prices grew at a slower pace in July as geopolitical tensions and fears of interest rate hikes weighed on property demand.
House prices registered an annual increase of 1.8% after rising 2.2% in June, the data showed. Prices were expected to grow 1.9%.
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