Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 6, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUK stocks rose as investors assessed corporate earnings and awaited the BoE rate decision. FTSE indices gained, led by energy and insurance stocks.
(Reuters) -British equities closed marginally higher on Wednesday, as investors assessed a slew of corporate earnings and awaited a Bank of England rate cut on Thursday.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 0.2%, rising for a third consecutive session after touching a four-month low on Friday.
The domestically focused midcap FTSE 250 rose 0.1%.
Energy stocks gained 1.8%, tracking higher oil prices after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed additional tariffs on India for buying Russian crude. [O/R]
Heavyweight Shell and BP boosted the benchmark index, up 1.3% and 3.1% respectively.
Insurance stocks rose 2.7%, after Hiscox reported a 6.2% rise in first-half group net insurance premiums. Shares of the British insurer jumped 9.4%, making it the biggest percentage gainer in the FTSE 100.
Shares of miner Fresnillo continued gains from the previous session with an 8.9% rise.
Conversely, British healthcare stocks slipped 1.4% after Trump said on Tuesday that Washington would initially place a "small tariff" on pharmaceutical imports, eventually increasing it to 250%.
AstraZeneca and GSK were down 1.5% and 1.7% respectively.
London-listed shares of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Coca-Cola HBC - bottling units of U.S. beverage giant Coca-Cola - fell 9.2% and 6.9%, respectively, after their quarterly reports, dragging on the FTSE 100.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England is widely expected to cut its key interest rate to 4% from 4.25% on Thursday and to lower it again before the year's end, despite inflation nearing double the central bank's 2% target in June.
"The decision to cut rates again is likely to be far from unanimous... How the Bank couches its accompanying commentary will send a strong signal regarding its perception of the trajectories for economic activity and inflation in coming months", said Jeremy Batstone-Carr, European Strategist at Raymond James Investment Services in a note.
Among other individual stocks, Glencore fell 5.4% after the UK miner reported a drop in first-half core profit.
TP ICAP fell 8.1%, among the top loser in the FTSE 250, after the British inter-dealer broker posted weaker-than-expected half-year operating profit.
(Reporting by Sanchayaita Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore and Ed Osmond)
The FTSE 100 is a stock market index that represents the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, based on market capitalization.
Corporate earnings refer to the profit a company makes during a specific period, typically reported quarterly or annually, which can influence stock prices.
Interest rates are the cost of borrowing money or the return on savings, expressed as a percentage. They are influenced by central bank policies.
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom, responsible for monetary policy, issuing currency, and maintaining financial stability.
Energy stocks are shares in companies involved in the production and distribution of energy, including oil, gas, and renewable energy sources.
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