The FTSE 100 rose 0.4% on Thursday, building on Wednesday’s 0.3% advance, as financial and mining stocks provided the main support. Among banks, HSBC Holdings gained more than 2%, while Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays each added around 0.7%. Standard Chartered climbed nearly 3.6%, and NatWest also moved higher.
Mining stocks strengthened the index further, with Rio Tinto up about 1.6%, Glencore gaining 1.9%, Anglo American advancing around 2.5%, and both Antofagasta and Fresnillo rising more than 1%.
Intertek shares rose more than 1.5% after the testing and inspection group extended the deadline for potential bidders to submit final offers to 18 June.
In contrast, Halma slumped nearly 16%, despite reporting higher annual profits and a strong start to the new financial year.
Elsewhere, Wizz Air reported profit growth that came in slightly ahead of expectations, even as the airline faced disruption to routes in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Frasers Group launched a €2 billion bid to acquire the remaining stake in Hugo Boss, offering €38 per share.
