London's FTSE 100 opened off the mark on Thursday, falling by 5 points to 8,323 as trading got underway.
Miners weighed early on as news of a 4 trillion yuan project initiative in China was again viewed as not enough to reinvigorate the world’s second-largest economy.
Rentokil bounced higher in the meantime, after it held guidance in its latest trading update and appeared to calm investors’ nerves following a profit warning last month.
Ladbrokes owner Entain also gained on a guidance hike in its third quarter update, while news of order growth in recent months sent Deliveroo shares higher.
A busy day on the earnings front also saw AJ Bell fall despite its report of growing customer numbers, as Mondi also tumbled after reporting a drop in third-quarter profit.