The FTSE 100 notched up yet another intraday high on Thursday morning of 8,093, continuing a strong week of trading for London’s blue chips.
Anglo American led gainers early on after news broke that the miner had received an unsolicited, all-share takeover offer from BHP.
AstraZeneca also saw strong gains in a busy day of earnings, after announcing a 22% increase in first-quarter operating profit to US$3.1 billion.
Barclays climbed as news of a 12% fall in first-quarter pre-tax profit to £2.27 billion on the back of softer net interest margins appeared not to hit sentiment.
Sainsbury’s fell in the meantime, having unveiled lower full-year profits against last year’s bumper figures, though did guide for the figure to surpass £1 billion in 2024 led by grocery sales growth.