London shares closed mostly lower on Thursday as investors traded cautiously ahead of key US jobs figures tomorrow, despite upbeat earnings from some firms. The FTSE 100 dipped 0.2% to 7,513.72, the FTSE 250 lost 0.3% to 18,618.74, while the AIM All-Share rose 0.4% to 720.86.
DS Smith shares climbed 1.5% after the packaging manufacturer reported a 17% drop in half-year pre-tax profit to £268m and reaffirmed full-year expectations. Vodafone fell 3.3% as Exane BNP cut its rating, while BT and IAG also declined after brokerage downgrades.
Among mid-caps, AJ Bell surged 16% to a record high after the investment platform posted a 50% jump in annual pre-tax profit to £87.7m. Coats Group gained 12% as it reached a deal to halt pension deficit payments from 2023. However, Future dropped 16% as annual profit declined 19% to £138.1m.
In small caps, Games Workshop plunged 14% despite predicting higher interim profit and revenue. Meanwhile, Kin & Carta rose 8.4% after Apax Partners increased its takeover offer to 120p per share, valuing the consultancy at £220.3m.
