U.K. equities closed higher on Thursday, with the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 rising 0.73% to cap a session led by gains in mining, software and media stocks.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners 1,042 to 668 on the London Stock Exchange, while 546 stocks ended unchanged. The broader market breadth reflected a positive close for major blue-chip names.
Among the top performers, WPP PLC surged 5.59% to 381.50, Informa PLC added 3.89% to 912.80 and London Stock Exchange Group PLC climbed 3.85% to 8,898.00. Losses were led by Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, down 2.79% to 5,080.00, ConvaTec Group PLC, which fell 2.65% to 227.40, and B&M European Value Retail PLC, which shed 2.62% to 222.80.
Commodities also moved higher, with December gold futures rising 2.84% to $4,539.81 per troy ounce. October crude oil futures edged up 0.36% to $91.34 per barrel, while November Brent crude slipped 0.06% to $95.57.
The pound held steady against the dollar, with GBP/USD flat at 1.35, while EUR/GBP was little changed at 0.86. The U.S. Dollar Index futures fell 0.63% to 98.93.
