The FTSE 100 opened 0.3% or 24.95 points lower to 10,542.70 on 5 March 2026, Thursday, as declines in mining stocks offset gains. The weakness in the index was largely driven by commodity-related companies, despite select corporate earnings helping to support the index.
Rentokil surged 7.10% to £455.70 after releasing its latest financial results.
Gambling group Entain rose 6.09% to £613.40 even as it reported a loss due to new UK gambling tax rules. Meanwhile, Mondi rose by 1.90% to £859 through the support of stable demand in the packaging sector.
Insurance company Admiral Group climbed 1.68% to £2,908. It reported strong profit growth and outlined its strategy to expand into digital commercial insurance services.
Energy companies are benefiting from higher oil prices due to supply concerns arising from the Middle East conflict. BP gained 1.53% to £488.60
On the downside, the mining sector dragged the index lower. Rio Tinto declined 3.77% to £6,919, Endeavour Mining backed 2.19% to £4,742, and Anglo American dipped 2.36% to £3,435.
Games Workshop slipped 0.92% to £17,180, while pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca edged down 0.57% to £15,002.
Consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser also declined 1.39% to £5,966, reflecting cautious investor sentiment.
The weakness across mining stocks came as oil prices rose, with Brent crude climbing around 2% to $83 per barrel.
Taylor Wimpey reported a 54% fall in annual profits. It plans to pay a smaller full-year dividend of £2.95 per share, worth £105 million.
The 36% drop from a year earlier came as the housebuilder unveiled an update to its distribution policy of paying 7.5% of net assets per year or at least £250 million.
Aviva’s acquisition of Direct Line helped deliver an increase in profit. The takeover handed the insurance giant £174 million, as the group’s overall operating profit rose to £2.2 billion.
Its general insurance premiums grew 18% to £14 billion, with UK and Ireland premiums up 27%, while in-force health premiums reached £1.1 billion following 12% growth.
The group has now announced the launch of a new £350 million share buyback programme commencing immediately.
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In Asia, stock markets have rallied, led by South Korea’s Kospi index after Wednesday’s 12% slump. The Nikkei 225 rose by 1.9% and the Hang Seng index by 0.3%.
In the US, the S&P 500 index rose 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite rallied 1.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5%.
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