London stocks are expected to open higher on Thursday, with investors looking ahead to US jobless claims and other economic data later in the day.
Futures suggest the FTSE 100 will rise c25 points, or 0.2%, at the open. London’s FTSE 100 closed at a fresh record high on Wednesday. The blue-chip index gained 130 points, or 1.2%, to finish at 10,686.18 — its second consecutive record close.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 added 0.5%, reaching its highest level in four years.
In corporate news, Rio Tinto reported a decline in profit for 2025 despite higher revenue, as rising operating and finance costs weighed on results.
Sterling eased to USD1.3500 early Thursday from USD1.3548 at Wednesday’s London close. The euro slipped to USD1.1799, while the dollar strengthened against the yen to JPY155.04.
On Wall Street, markets finished higher on Wednesday. The Dow gained 0.3%, the S&P 500 rose 0.6%, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.8%.
Asian markets were mostly positive. Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.6%, while markets in China and Hong Kong remained closed for the Lunar New Year. Australia’s ASX 200 climbed 0.9%.
In commodities, gold edged higher to USD5,018.53 an ounce, while Brent crude rose to USD70.42 a barrel.
On the UK corporate calendar, Centrica and Mondi are due to report full-year results on Thursday.
