The U.K. stock market showed resilience on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 Index (UKX) finishing the day up 0.32% at 7,644.78.
Oil & Natural Gas Sector Outperforms
Leading the charge among FTSE 100 constituents were major oil and natural gas companies, with BP PLC (BP) experiencing the largest increase of 3.04% in its share prices.
Pharmaceutical and Software Companies Flourish
Pharmaceuticals firm Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (HIK) and software company Sage Group PLC (SGE) also enjoyed positive growth, with their shares increasing by 1.97% and 1.90% respectively.
Wholesalers and Building Materials See Promising Gains
Ferguson PLC (FERG), a prominent wholesalers company, and CRH PLC (CRH), a leading player in building materials and products, rounded out the top five performers, both seeing their stocks rise by 1.87%.
Precious Metals Take a Hit
On the other hand, precious metals company Fresnillo PLC (FRES) experienced the largest decrease among FTSE 100 constituents, with shares dropping by 3.19% on Thursday.
Banks and Food Retail Face a Downturn
Major international banks firm Barclays PLC (BARC) and food retail company Ocado Group PLC (OCDO) were also affected by the market downturn, with their shares dropping by 3.12% and 2.62% respectively.
Chemicals and Non-Ferrous Metals Follow Suit
Croda International PLC (CRDA), a well-known chemicals company, and Antofagasta PLC (ANTO), specializing in non-ferrous metals, also encountered a decline in their stock prices, with drops of 2.31% and 2.26% respectively.
Currency and Commodity Update
The pound experienced a slight decrease, down 0.80% against the dollar (GBPUSD) at $1.2215 and 0.16% against the euro (GBPEUR) at €1.1574.
Brent crude (BRN00) saw a modest increase of 0.3%, reaching $86.10, while the yield on the 10-year gilt (TMBMKGB-10Y) increased by 8.350 basis points to 4.422%.
