The FTSE 100 opened little changed on Thursday, dropping one point to 8,556.
St James’s Place headed the early risers, surging over 6% after unveiling net inflows of £4.3 billion in 2024 to bring assets under management to a record £190.2 billion.
Airtel Africa also rose sharply after the telecommunications firm unveiled an 11-fold increase in third-quarter net profit, driven by exceptional gains.
Shell moved higher after it hiked its dividend and unveiled a $3.5 billion share buyback despite unveiling weaker profit for the fourth quarter on the likes of lower oil prices and squeezed margins.
BT Group headed the fallers in the meantime on news of stronger profit but weaker revenue in the third quarter.