London equities ended the trading day with broad upside, as sector-level strength in Pharmaceuticals & Biotech, Software & Computer Services and Travel & Leisure helped push the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 up 0.82% at the close, registering a new record high.
Among the individual movers, Smurfit WestRock PLC (LON:SWR) was the session's top performer, rising 3.95% - a gain of 142.00 points - to close at 3,738.00. Housebuilder Barratt Redrow PLC (LON:BTRW) also posted notable gains, adding 3.13% or 11.70 points to finish at 385.60. Telecom-linked Airtel Africa Plc (LON:AAF) advanced 3.09%, up 10.40 points to 346.60 by the close.
Not all names participated in the rally. Miners and industrials weighed on the downside, with Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) slipping 3.44% - down 129.00 points - to 3,617.00 at the close. Anglo American PLC (LON:AAL) declined 2.93%, a fall of 104.80 points to 3,473.20, while Weir Group PLC (LON:WEIR) eased 2.28% or 80.00 points to 3,430.00.
Market breadth in London showed more winners than losers: 1,013 stocks rose versus 754 that fell, and 539 finished unchanged.
Commodities moved lower on the session. Gold futures for April delivery fell 3.50%, down $176.71, to trade at $4,869.59 a troy ounce. In oil markets, the April WTI contract decreased 1.26% or $0.79 to $61.96 a barrel, while the April Brent contract retreated 2.37% or $1.63 to $67.02 a barrel.
Currency moves were notable alongside equity gains. The pound weakened versus the dollar, with GBP/USD down 0.70% to 1.35. EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.87 with a 0.56% reading reported, and the U.S. Dollar Index Futures traded 0.37% higher at 97.18.
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This session left the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 at a new intraday and closing high, with sector leadership concentrated in pharmaceuticals, software-related services and travel-related businesses even as commodities and the pound moved lower.