.png){kind=logo}
The FTSE 100 opened 6 points higher near the 10,147 level, reflecting a market driven more by company-specific updates than broad macro momentum.
Mondi advanced 2.37% to £916.420 on steady demand expectations, while Diageo gained 2.12% to £1,710 amid buying interest in defensive consumer stocks.
Barclays added 1.70% to £481.10, supported by strength in banking shares, while Persimmon rose 1.41% to £1,434 after lifting its profit guidance.
Marks & Spencer also edged higher, gaining 1.37% to £348.80.
On the downside, Admiral Group dropped 2.85% to £2,996 amid insurance stocks being weak, while Endeavour Mining went down by 1.38% to £4,000 because of the low prices of precious metals.
AstraZeneca went down by 0.81% to £14,006, while London Stock Exchange Group fell by 0.49% to £9,022. Retailer Next was slightly affected as well, going down by 0.24% to £14,395.
Whitbread increased by around 4% as a result of the trade update for the third quarter, which disclosed positive sales growth in both the UK and Germany. The investors conveyed their satisfaction with the Premier Inn owner.
Moreover, Whitbread has revised downwards the impact of the UK business rate changes on its revenues to £35 million from up to £50 million initially projected.
Also, the company has set a new cost-reduction target of £75 million to £80 million, thus enhancing the opinion on margin strength even in the hard consumer market.
Housebuilder Persimmon also traded higher after lifting its outlook. The company said underlying profits for 2025 are now expected to come in toward the upper end of market forecasts, supported by a 12% increase in completions and a solid order book entering 2026.
While management remains cautious on near-term housing market conditions, early signs from recent marketing campaigns have been encouraging.
Games Workshop slipped 2.92% despite record results. The Warhammer maker reported an 11% rise in pre-tax profit to £140.8 million for the half year, with revenues climbing to £332 million.
However, after a strong rally over the past year, shares are up more than 40% some investors chose to lock in gains.
The stock’s decline highlighted the current market tendency to reward earnings beats selectively rather than uniformly.
Also Read: Stock Market Today: Sensex at 83,830, Nifty Near 25,774 as TCS Profit Falls 14%
US benchmarks also posted fresh records last night as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 index both rose 0.2%.
In Asia, Nikkei climbed as much as 3.6% to a record 53,814.79. Meanwhile, the broader Topix gained up to 2.4% to hit a fresh record high of 3,599.31.
In commodities, Brent crude edged higher toward $64 per barrel, while gold slipped below $4,580 an ounce, easing slightly after recent record highs.
