FTSE 100 Modestly Higher
(RTTNews) - The UK market remains firmly placed in positive territory a little past noon on Wednesday, holding gains after a steady start, amid rising optimism about the European Union striking a deal with the U.S. in the coming weeks.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 21.89 points or 0.25% at 8,876.07 about half-an-hour past noon.
British American Tobacco is rising 2.7%. Smith & Nephew is gaining 1.8%, while Centrica, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Legal & General, Barclays, Shell, HSBC Holdings, Natwest Group, Intermediate Capital Group, Spirax Group, Imperial Brands and IMI are up 1 to 1.5%.
Energy services firm Hunting Plc is soaring more than 10% after reporting strong half-year results and launching a $40 million share repurchase program.
Galliford Try Holdings shares are up more than 3%. The construction group said it expects to report full year 2025 revenue and adjusted pre-tax profit slightly above the upper end of current market forecasts.
Shares of advertising major WPP Plc are tanking more than 14% after the company trimmed its outlook for first half and fiscal 2025.
Glencore is down by about 2.1%, while Anglo American Plc, EasyJet, Fresnillo, JD Sports Fashion, Antofagasta, Rentokil Initial, Marks & Spencer and B&M European Value Retail are down 1 to 1.7%.
Close Brothers Group Plc are down more than 4%. The merchant banking group said it plans to scale back its premium finance division in a bid to cut costs and focus on its offerings for businesses.
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