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 rose 0.34% to 10,872.62 points by 1131 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 0.25%.
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The aerospace and defence sector gained 1.4% with Rolls-Royce up 2.8% after reaffirming its full-year forecast and announcing a £1.5 billion share buyback
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Healthcare heavyweights AstraZeneca and GSK climbed 0.9% and 1.1%, respectively
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Burberry jumped 9.4% after the luxury brand reported second-quarter sales and profit above estimates
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Persimmon gained 6.2% after the homebuilder forecast a further increase in housing volumes in 2027; broader homebuilder sector climbed 3.9%
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B&M 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
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Offsetting some gains, energy giants Shell and BP inched 0.6% lower each, tracking lower crude oil prices
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Endeavour Mining slumped 6.3% after the gold miner said it sees full-year gold production at the lower end of its outlook
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Industrial metal miners dipped 0.6%, tracking lower base metal prices, including copper
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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
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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
Reporting by Darshan Kumar and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore
Source: Reuters