U.K. equities ended the trading day modestly lower on Thursday as sector-specific declines outweighed advances in several large-cap names. At the close in London, the United Kingdom 100 was down 0.04%.
Among the session's top performers, BP PLC (LON:BP) rose 3.16% or 17.80 points to finish at 580.50. United Utilities Group PLC (LON:UU) climbed 2.27% or 31.00 points to close at 1,396.00, marking a record intraday level for the stock. GSK plc (LON:GSK) also posted gains, increasing 1.98% or 42.00 points to end the session at 2,167.00.
Notable laggards weighed on the market. Entain PLC (LON:ENT) led decliners, falling 8.39% or 49.00 points to 535.20 by the close. Flutter Entertainment PLC (LON:FLTRF) declined 5.47% or 444.00 points to finish at 7,676.00, and Vistry Group PLC (LON:VTYV) dropped 4.58% or 16.40 points to close at 342.00.
Market breadth on the London Stock Exchange skewed negative, with 988 stocks falling compared with 785 advancing; 514 issues finished unchanged.
Commodities trading saw sizeable moves. Gold futures for June delivery rose 0.81% or 38.90 to $4,816.10 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for May delivery increased 3.61% or 3.41 to reach $97.82 a barrel, while the June Brent contract was up 0.69% or 0.65 at $95.40 a barrel.
In currency markets, GBP/USD was unchanged at 0.32% to 1.34, and EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.03% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures fell 0.43% to 98.50.
Summary of movers and market context:
- BP, United Utilities and GSK were among the day's winners, providing upward support to the index.
- Entain, Flutter and Vistry contributed the largest declines, exerting downward pressure on broader market performance.
- Commodities showed strength, with both gold and key oil contracts rising during the session.