U.K. Stocks Finish Higher

The U.K. stock market ended on a positive note on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 Index increasing by 0.21% to reach 7,692.76.

Top Gainers

Among the constituents of the FTSE 100, Polymetal International PLC saw the highest increase in share price, rising by 9.38%. Publishing firm RELX PLC and broadcasting company ITV PLC also experienced significant gains of 4.68% and 4.14%, respectively. Informa PLC, a publishing company, and Burberry Group PLC, a clothing firm, rounded out the top five with stocks climbing by 4.08% and 3.02% respectively.

Top Losers

On the other hand, St. James's Place PLC, an investment advisors company, witnessed the largest decline among FTSE 100 constituents, as their shares plunged by 16.03% on Thursday. Barclays PLC, a major international banks firm, and SSE PLC, an electric utilities company, also experienced decreases of 5.28% and 2.20% respectively. BT Group PLC, a wired telecommunications services company, and Vodafone Group PLC, a wireless telecommunications services business, completed the top five largest decreases with their stocks declining by 2.06% and 1.77% respectively.

Currency and Commodity Trends

The pound saw a decrease of 0.56% against the dollar, trading at $1.2870. However, it had a slight increase of 0.22% against the euro, trading at €1.1701. Brent crude climbed by 1.2% to reach $83.55, while the yield on the 10-year gilt increased by 2.910 basis points to reach 4.311%.