LONDON MARKET CLOSE: FTSE 100 edges higher despite oil price gains

Thu, 21st May 2026 17:00

(Alliance News) - The FTSE 100 ended a see-saw session in the green, as rising mining stocks offset disappointing earnings and a higher oil price.

The FTSE 100 closed up 11.13 points, 0.1%, at 10,443.47. The FTSE 250 ended up 109.54 points, 0.5%, at 22,947.92, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.83 points, 0.5%, at 796.64.

The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.4% at 1,041.23, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.7% at 19,877.91, and the Cboe Small Companies Index ended up 0.4% at 18,616.24.

Oil prices were back on the rise as International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned oil supplies could be "entering the red zone" if there is no progress towards resolving the Middle East war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude for July delivery traded higher at USD107.98 a barrel on Thursday, up from USD105.26 at the time of the equities close in London on Wednesday.

In addition, Reuters reported that Iran's supreme leader has asserted that the nation's enriched uranium must not be sent abroad. Uranium is a key sticking point in peace talks.

US President Donald Trump has described the latest discussions with Iran as being on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed strikes.

Wealth Club analyst Susannah Streeter commented: "Although there is hope that talks between the US and Iran will bear fruit, after Trump claimed discussions were entering their final stages, neither side seems to be in a rush.

"Amid this uncertainty about where negotiations really do stand, oil prices have started to creep higher after their fall yesterday."

Elsewhere, figures showed the UK private sector slipped into contraction in May, with activity in services declining.

The S&P Global flash composite purchasing managers' index fell to 48.5 points in May, a 13-month low, from 52.6 in April.

S&P Global Market Intelligence analyst Chris Williamson commented: "The UK economy is facing a perfect storm, as rising political uncertainty adds to the growing impact from the war in the Middle East.

"Businesses are reporting falling output, surging inflation, supply shortages and job cuts in May."

Rob Wood, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics said a July interest rate hike looks "unlikely" after the PMI figures completed a set of "dovish data this week".

"We hold on to the call for now because we think payrolls will be revised up and the PMI exaggerates weakness because it tends to overreact to political uncertainty. But there is a good chance we will need to push back our rate hike call now," he said.

This week has seen soft UK inflation and labour market data, leaving the Bank of England in a quandary as it assesses the impact of the Middle East crisis.

The pound traded at USD1.3401 on Thursday afternoon, down from USD1.3456 on Wednesday. Against the euro, sterling eased to EUR1.1566 from EUR1.1568 on Wednesday.

In European equity markets on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris ended down 0.4%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt fell 0.5%.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.3%, the S&P 500 was 0.4% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.6%.

Nvidia failed to sparkle, falling 1.9%, despite a signature beat-and-raise after results comfortably topped forecasts.

Kate Leaman, chief market analyst at AvaTrade, believes investors are no longer simply focused on Nvidia beating expectations, but on whether the company can continue raising the bar on future guidance.

"The market is no longer impressed by a beat on the quarter. It's all about the next step in the story, and whether guidance can keep outrunning expectations that are already sky-high," she said.

The yield on the US 10-year Treasury widened to 4.62% on Thursday from 4.58% on Wednesday. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury stretched to 5.14% from 5.11%.

The euro traded lower against the greenback, at USD1.1587 on Thursday against USD1.1632 on Wednesday. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JPY159.17, higher than JPY158.69.

On the FTSE 100, 3i Group rose 3.3%, continuing its recent volatile run. Miners were prominent gainers with Glencore up 1.4%, Antofagasta up 1.8% and Rio Tinto up 1.9%.

Heading south was Autotrader, down 8.9%, after results and guidance missed market expectations, taking the shine off a new share buyback.

The Manchester, England-based owner of the UK's largest online automotive marketplace said operating profit increased 4% to GBP392.7 million in the year to March from GBP376.8 million, below the GBP398.7 million company compiled consensus.

Revenue ticked up 3.9% to GBP624.3 million from GBP601.1 million, but was also lower than the GBP632.0 million consensus.

Citigroup said below-consensus revenue and profit were largely driven by retailer forecourt numbers, which came in softer than expected due to a tougher used car market and ongoing tensions with the Deal Builder product.

For financial 2027, Autotader expects operating profit between GBP395 million and GBP415 million, versus the GBP418.3 million consensus.

BT eased 4.9%, after its new dividend guidance disappointed against high expectations heading into the print.

While on the FTSE 250, Qinetiq jumped 8.9%, as it extended its share buyback and reported strong profit growth supported by a record order intake.

Gold traded at USD4,508.26 an ounce on Thursday, down from USD4,536.32 on Wednesday.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were 3i Group, up 71.00p at 2,250.00p, SSE, up 72.00p at 2,409.00p, ICG, up 53.00p at 1,886.00p, Babcock International, up 27.00p at 1,066.50p, and Centrica, up 4.20p at 198.95p.

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Autotrader, down 43.70p at 452.60p, Convatec, down 10.60p at 203.60p, BT Group, down 11.40p at 219.50p, Airtel Africa, down 9.00p at 325.20p and Whitbread, down 59.00p at 2,367.00p.

Friday's global economic calendar includes PPI and retail sales figures from Canada, German GDP data, and UK consumer confidence, retail sales, and public borrowing numbers.

Friday's local corporate calendar has full-year results from Helical.

By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com