FTSE 100 rises on strong earnings; healthcare, industrials lead
Nov 12 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 climbed on Thursday, led by gains in healthcare and industrials, as a slew of positive corporate earnings lifted sentiment and investors digested the latest economic growth data.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE rose 0.34% to 10,872.62 points by 1131 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 .FTMC climbed 0.25%.
The aerospace and defence sector .FTNMX502010 gained 1.4% with Rolls-Royce RR.L up 2.8% after reaffirming its full-year forecast and announcing a £1.5 billion share buyback
Healthcare heavyweights AstraZeneca AZN.L and GSK GSK.L climbed 0.9% and 1.1%, respectively
Burberry BRBY.L jumped 9.4% after the luxury brand reported second-quarter sales and profit above estimates
Persimmon PSN.L gained 6.2% after the homebuilder forecast a further increase in housing volumes in 2027; broader homebuilder sector .FTNMX402020 climbed 3.9%
B&M BMEB.L jumped 18.3% after the discount retailer said its annual profit may rise by up to 16%; stock was the biggest gainer among UK midcaps
Offsetting some gains, energy giants Shell SHEL.L and BP BP.L inched 0.6% lower each, tracking lower crude oil prices
Endeavour Mining EDV.L slumped 6.3% after the gold miner said it sees full-year gold production at the lower end of its outlook
Industrial metal miners .FTNMX551020 dipped 0.6%, tracking lower base metal prices, including copper
Britain's economy grew 0.7% in the third quarter, its fastest pace in 2-1/2 years, supported by strong services activity and AI-related demand
The latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors survey showed its house price balance fell to -36 in October from -34 in September, while agreed sales weakened to -24 from -18 and its sales outlook for the next 12 months dropped to -17