London's FTSE 100 hit another intraday record high on Thursday, lifted by miners and industrial stocks, as investors assessed escalating tensions in the Middle East ahead of the Bank of England's monetary policy decision, reports Reuters.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.4 per cent to an all-time peak of 10,950.32 points by 0943 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 0.4 per cent.
Precious and industrial metal miners gained 1.5 per cent and 1.9 per cent, respectively, tracking gains in copper prices, and steady prices of bullion.
Aerospace and defence firms tab were the top sectoral gainers, up 3.6 per cent, on a 5.6 per cent boost from Rolls-Royce after the engineering company raised its full-year outlook far beyond market expectations.
Paper and packaging firm Mondi surged 15.2 per cent, on track for its sharpest one-day jump since March 2009 after its first-half results which powered the FTSE 350 General Industrials sector to its highest level since March 2025.
On the flip side, industrial support services slipped 2.5 per cent, weighed down by a 17.3 per cent slump in Rentokil, set for its biggest one-day loss since September 2024 after the pest control firm flagged weakness in its North America business.
Energy stocks gained 0.4 per cent as Brent crude topped $90 a barrel after the US military struck dozens of targets in Iran.
A divided US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday even as chief Kevin Warsh pledged an unwavering commitment to bring inflation down, a message that ?left markets confused about just what he was prepared to do.
Later on, the Bank of England will release its monetary policy statement, with markets widely expecting the central bank to hold interest rates steady.
