The FTSE 100 achieved a new record high with the help of positive corporate earnings from Centrica and Standard Chartered, while higher commodity prices buoyed miners.
The blue-chip index rose by up to 0.5%, surpassing the 8,000-point level it had breached in the previous session, reaching a high of 8,047.06.
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, leapt to the top of the FTSE 100, increasing by 4.6% after its yearly profit more than tripled and the company announced an extension to its share buyback program. Standard Chartered, a British bank, rose 2.9% after reporting a 28% surge in pre-tax profit for the year. European information provider Relx also climbed by 3.8% after reporting a better-than-expected 10% increase in adjusted earnings per share for the full year.
Although gains in the more domestically-focused FTSE 250 midcaps increased by up to 0.4%, pharmaceutical company Indivior’s losses limited the gains, with the company dropping by 14.4% after reporting its full-year results.
