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The FTSE 100 opened 51.69 points higher at 10,776.55after stocks in the US and Asia struggled following a hotter-than-expected US inflation data, while chip stocks came under pressure again as Chinese competition grows. Brent crude futures fell 1.90% to USD 104.1 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) declined 1.10% to USD 94.04 per barrel.
The sterling traded at USD 1.3238 on early Thursday, up from USD 1.3152 during closing time on Wednesday. It fell to EUR 1.1801 from EUR 1.1826 against the euro.
On the upside, Auto Trader Group rose 3.86% to 532.20p, while Admiral Group advanced 3.28% to 3,774.00p. Imperial Brands gained 3.17% to 2,866.00p, and RELX climbed 3.10% to 2,861.00p. Experian increased 3.04% to 2,778.00p, while British Land added 2.94% to 419.80p.
On the downside, Halma fell 5.81% to 3,278.00p, while Antofagasta declined 5.80% to 3,365.00p. Rio Tinto slipped 4.35% to 6,622.00p, and Anglo American dropped 4.19% to 3,909.00p. Computacenter decreased 3.39% to 5,280.00p, while Spirax Group lost 2.46% to 7,145.00p.
Dunelm Group said first-quarter sales rose 1.1% to GBP 433 million as trading strengthened, helping the homewares retailer maintain its full-year profit guidance.
Sales fell around 3% year-on-year during the first six weeks of the quarter as warm weather weighed on demand, before returning to growth of around 4%.
Store-enabled like-for-like sales declined 0.8%, while digital sales increased their share of total revenue by one percentage point to 41%.
Myprotein owner THG has hiked its profit forecasts following a rise in sales in its nutrition division and a slump in the price of whey.
The company said it had upgraded its full-year EBITDA forecasts to GBP 103 million, ahead of market consensus and management’s previous expectations. THG is on track for its first year of positive free cash flow since its IPO in 2021.
“Following a particularly strong first half of 2026, I’m pleased to report that our momentum has continued through Q3, with profitability exceeding our expectations,” said founder and chief executive, Matt Moulding.
British asset manager Jupiter Fund Management reported higher third-quarter net inflows, supported by client demand and stronger flows
Net inflows reached GBP 700 million (USD 926.31 million) in the third quarter, compared to GBP 300 million a year earlier.
Assets under management rose 51% to a record GBP 75.9 billion on September 30, compared with GBP 50.4 billion a year earlier.
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In the US, the S&P 500 futures shed 0.31%, while NASDAQ-100 futures dropped 0.83%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 0.12%, or 63 points.
In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 4.9% to 64,425.95, while China’s Shanghai Composite dipped 1.59%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.09%, and South Korea’s Kospi declined 7.57%. In India, both the Nifty 50 and the Sensex advanced by 1.73% and 1.86%, respectively.
