U.K. stocks eked out modest gains on Thursday after clothing retailer Next Plc raised its pre-tax profit forecast for the current year, defying gloom about weakening consumption and the U.K.’s cost-of-living crisis.
Next Plc shares jumped 7.5 percent, while the benchmark FTSE 100 was up 23 points, or 0.3 percent, at 7,607.
Bakery chain Greggs gained about 1 percent after reporting strong double-digit growth in its fourth-quarter sales.
Galliford Try Holdings fell 1.5 percent. The construction group said it has won a £95mln contract to deliver a new prison facility at HMP Rye Hill, near Rugby in Warwickshire.
B&M European Value Retail advanced 1.3 percent. The variety discounter announced a special dividend after reporting an uptick in sales in its third quarter.
Market Analysis
FTSE 100 Edges Higher On Earnings Boost
2023-01-05 09:19:20
