FTSE 100 Heads for Biggest Monthly Gain Since February Driven by Earnings, Energy
FTSE 100 Performance and Market Drivers
July 31 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 hit an intraday record high for the third session in a row on Friday, and was set to register weekly and monthly gains, as robust earnings buoyed markets through a week of central bank decisions and Middle East hostilities.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.5% to 10,947.73 points by 1003 GMT, poised for its biggest monthly jump since February, and sharpest weekly gain in over two months, while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 0.4%.
Sector Highlights
Mining and Energy Stocks
• On Friday, miners were the biggest boosts to the index, with industrial metal miners rising 2.1%, tracking a rise in copper prices. Precious metal miners rose 0.9%. [MET/L] [GOL/]
• Heavyweight energy stocks added 1.4%, despite a dip in oil prices to below $90 a barrel. The sector has gained over 15% in July, set to outperform peers, as U.S.-Iran hostilities escalated, threatening fuel supplies. [O/R]
Corporate Earnings Impact
• Corporate earnings were in full swing, with investor attention split between reports and macro factors.
Notable Company Movements
• NatWest gained 4.3% after the lender reported a better-than-expected first-half operating profit before tax of £4.3 billion ($5.8 billion) and raised its outlook for the year.
• IG Group sank 10.2% to the bottom of the FTSE 100 after it agreed to acquire U.S. daily fantasy sports and prediction markets operator Underdog for up to $1.3 billion.
• Sainsbury's inched up 2.5% after the supermarket chain agreed to sell Argos for at least £120 million ($161 million), exiting the general retail business.
Central Bank Decisions and Economic Factors
Monetary Policy Updates
• This week, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said policymakers were committed to combating inflation after a divided Fed kept interest rates unchanged, providing little clarity on the central bank's next move.
• The Bank of England on Thursday also held rates, but the number of dissenters stood at three compared with expectations of two, as the impact of the Iran conflict on the economy worried policymakers.
Other Market Movers
• Greggs shed 6% to end at the bottom of the FTSE 250 after RBC downgraded the fast-food chain's stock to "sector perform" from "outperform".
(Reporting by Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)