- FTSE 100, FTSE 250 each up 0.1%
- Airtel Africa and Vodafone climb 3.3% to 3.8%, leading sectoral gains
- Hilton Food jumps 16.7% after raising annual profit forecast
- Services sector grows for the second month in August
Sept 3 (Reuters) - The UK's main stock indexes recovered on Thursday as a rally in global bonds ahead of a U.S. jobs report lifted risk sentiment, while firmer commodity prices provided additional support.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.1% to 10,767.57 points by 10:10 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 gained 0.1%, rebounding from a nearly one-month low.
-
Britain's 10-year gilt yields eased more than 5.8 basis points from an 18-year high of Wednesday, tracking a rally in global bonds and stocks ahead of U.S. non-farm payrolls data on Friday.
-
The services sector in the UK grew for the second month in a row in August and confidence rose, a survey showed.
-
Rate-sensitive banks rose 0.2%.
-
Healthcare stocks advanced 0.9% higher, supported by weaker sterling, with AstraZeneca up 1.3%.
-
Precious metal miners gained 0.9% as gold and silver prices rose. GOL
-
Telecom stocks Airtel Africa and Vodafone rose between 3.3% and 3.8%, leading sectoral gains.
-
Luxury retailer Burberry slipped 1.9%, as weak demand prospects weighed on the sector across Europe, sending the broader personal goods sector down 2.2%, leading sectoral losses.
-
Hilton Food Group jumped 16.7%, among the top gainers in the mid-cap index after raising annual profit forecast.
Reporting by Anand Gopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar
Source: Reuters