The FTSE 100 opened 21.92 points higher at 10,930.33 as investors turned to the Bank of England’s interest rate decision, shrugging off a hawkish Federal Reserve hold and overnight losses on Wall Street. Meanwhile, Brent crude futures rose 2.13% to $92.67 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) advanced 1.47% to $85.70 ‌per barrel.

Sterling rose to $1.3352 from $1.3284 in the previous session. Against the euro, it fell to €1.1654 from €1.1673. 

Gainers & Losers

On the upside, Rolls-Royce Holdings surged 4.03% to 1,435.60p. Aberdeen Group gained 2.19% to 243.20p, while Investec advanced 1.99% to 641.50p. Lloyds Banking Group climbed 1.75% to 113.30p, Croda International rose 1.58% to 3,271p, and Standard Chartered also added 1.58% to 2,191p.

On the downside, London Stock Exchange Group fell 3.50% to 8,876p. Rentokil slumped 17.08% to 367.60p, while Reckitt Benckiser declined 0.96% to 5,348p. Games Workshop Group slipped 0.86% to 19,680p, AstraZeneca eased 0.59% to 13,056p, and Next plc edged 0.56% lower to 15,095p.

Rentokil Shares Decline 

Rentokil shares have plummeted after its boss hit out at the firm’s failure to meet its potential across multiple markets. Its shares shed over 17% in early trade. 

Chief executive Mike Duffy said the firm is “not delivering on our growth potential in many of the markets we operate in, nor adequately benefiting from our scale.” 

The firm reported a 6.7% rise in group revenue for the first six months of the year to $3.5 billion (£2.6 billion), also reporting profit before tax growing almost 10% to $263 million (£196 million). 

“Our focus is driving volume growth over short-term margin expansion, and this targeted redeployment of resources will enable us, over time, to accelerate organic growth, improve margins and free cash flow and deliver on the clear opportunity for shareholder value creation,” Duffy said.

Rolls Royce Shares Jump 

Rolls-Royce shares jumped on Thursday after the company hiked its targets and posted a near 50% jump in operating profits in the first half of the year. 

The firm said rising profitability across all of its ⁠divisions resulted in £2.5 billion in underlying operating profit for the first half, up 46% in the same period last year. It now expects to make £4.7 billion to £4.9 billion in underlying operating ⁠profit, up from its previous targets of between £4 billion and £4.2 billion. 

Chief Executive Tufan Erginbilgic, who has pushed through a sweeping overhaul of the aerospace and engineering group, said the company’s “transformation continues to deliver”. “We are demonstrating that Rolls-Royce is now a very different company to that of the past,” he said.

Also Read: Stock Market Update: Nifty 50 Opens Flat, Sensex Falls 15 Points Amid Weak Global Cues

Lloyds 1 Billion Share Buyback 

Lloyds Banking Group unveiled a £1 billion share buyback and a new four-year strategy after reporting a stronger profit for the second quarter. 

Statutory pre-tax profit rose to £4.3 billion in the first half, from £3.5 billion a year earlier. Second-quarter profit of £2.3 billion beat the £2.1 billion expected by analysts. 

Boss Charlie Nunn said, "In the first half of 2026, we delivered sustained strength in financial performance, with continued income growth, improving operating leverage, strong credit performance, growing capital generation and increasing shareholder returns." Guidance for the full year remains unchanged.

Global Market View

In the US, Wall Street fell after the Federal Reserve held interest rates. The Dow Jones fell 1,153 points, or 2.2%, while the S&P 500 lost 1.5% and the Nasdaq dropped 1.7%.

In Asia on Thursday,, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 0.71% to 61,867.43, while China’s Shanghai Composite dipped 0.62%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 0.18%, and South Korea’s Kospi edged lower by 1.23%. In India, both the Nifty 50 and the Sensex rose by 0.15% and 0.066%, respectively.