U.K. Stocks End on Positive Note

The U.K. stock market closed higher on Friday, with the FTSE 100 Index seeing a 0.58% increase to reach 7,494.58.

Aviva PLC Leads the Gainers

Among the FTSE 100 constituents, Aviva PLC, a full-line insurance company, experienced the largest surge on Friday, with shares rallying by 5.33%.

Other notable gainers included CRH PLC, a building materials/products firm, and Legal & General Group PLC, an investment advisors company, whose shares increased by 3.31% and 3.18% respectively.

B&M European Value Retail and Entain PLC Show Impressive Growth

Mixed retailing company B&M European Value Retail S.A. and gambling industries firm Entain PLC were also among the top five gainers, with their stocks climbing by 3.00% and 2.50% respectively.

Rentokil Initial PLC Faces a Decline

Rentokil Initial PLC, a diversified business services company, saw the largest drop among the FTSE 100 constituents, with shares declining by 2.62% on Friday.

Unilever PLC and Coca-Cola HBC AG Experience Losses

Shares of food products firm Unilever PLC and non-alcoholic beverages/drinks company Coca-Cola HBC AG also took a hit, dropping by 2.61% and 2.52% respectively.

Vodafone Group PLC and Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC among Top Decreases

Wireless telecommunications services company Vodafone Group PLC and nondurable household products firm Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC experienced notable decreases as well, with their stocks shedding 1.71% and 1.58% respectively.

Currency and Commodity Updates

The British pound showed strength as it increased by 0.50% against the dollar, reaching $1.2254. It also saw a slight gain of 0.08% against the euro, reaching €1.1565.

Brent crude oil registered a 0.5% climb, reaching $84.49. Meanwhile, the yield on the 10-year gilt rose by 3.000 basis points to 4.577%.