London stocks opened modestly higher on Thursday, helped by softer oil prices and company-specific gains in betting and automotive shares.
The FTSE 100 rose 10.87 points to 8,729.62, while the FTSE 250 edged up 21.87 points to 21,319.91. The AIM All-Share was flat, up 0.28 points at 760.73.
Oil prices eased as diplomatic overtures suggested a possible de-escalation in the Middle East. Despite mixed signals from former US President Trump over recent strikes in Iran, weekend talks between US and Iranian officials appear to be on the table.
Entain led the FTSE 100, up nearly 3%, after being upgraded to ‘buy’ by Goldman Sachs, which set a price target of 1,020p. Miners were also among the top risers: Anglo American gained 1.9%, Endeavour Mining rose 1.5%, Rio Tinto added 1.2%, and Fresnillo climbed 1.3%.
Experian was the weakest blue-chip performer, down 1.7%.
In the FTSE 250, Inchcape jumped 4.9% after reaffirming its 2025 outlook. The car distributor highlighted a “resilient” performance despite currency headwinds and patchy market momentum.
Moonpig tumbled 9.5% as full-year pretax profit slumped to £3.0 million from £46.4 million. The greeting card firm blamed higher interest costs and depreciation but reported 16% growth in adjusted pretax profit. A dividend was reinstated, and CEO Nickyl Raithatha is set to step down with 12 months’ notice.
On AIM, Inspired shares rose 5.9% after the company agreed to a £183.6 million takeover offer from HGGC. Investors will receive 81p per share, a 6% premium to Wednesday’s close.