- FTSE 100 up 0.34%, FTSE 250 down 0.03%
- Fed decision, Warsh comments awaited by investors
- Middle East conflict lifts oil, energy stocks
- Greggs jumps after first-half profit rises 20%
- Aberdeen slips on first-half client outflows
July 29 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 touched an intraday record high on Wednesday, driven by a surge in oil stocks following renewed conflict in the Middle East, while investors awaited interest rate decisions from the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed up 0.34% at 10,908.41 points. It made a new peak of 10,951.06 points earlier in the session.
The midcap FTSE 250 inched down 0.03% to 23,996.81 points.
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Energy stocks jumped 2.9% as oil prices , rose nearly 7% as major airstrikes resumed in the Middle East and dashed hopes for an imminent end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
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The Federal Reserve is seen as more likely to leave interest rates steady at 1800 GMT on Wednesday, though a growing number of its policymakers fret openly about inflation and the outcome is uncertain because of the no-guidance regime adopted by U.S. central bank chief Kevin Warsh.
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The Bank of England is due to announce its decision on Thursday, when it is widely expected to keep interest rates steady.
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In a busy earnings day, Standard Chartered climbed 2.8% after the bank posted a forecast-beating first-half profit and lifted its full-year income target.
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Glencore climbed 2.8% after the miner reported a 15% increase in first-half copper production, while Rio Tinto gained 1.6% after reporting a 43% jump in half-year underlying earnings.
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Greggs rallied 18.5% to the top of the midcap index after Britain's biggest fast-food chain reported a 20% rise in first-half profit.
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Aberdeen Group fell 4.5%, making it the worst performer in the blue-chip index, after the asset manager reported first-half net outflows of £3 billion ($4 billion).
Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi and Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore and Alison Williams
Source: Reuters