The FTSE 100 has started on the front foot, climbing half a percent to 8,723 in early trades as gold hit a new record, boosting gold miners including Endeavour Mining and Fresnillo.
Traders cited renewed tensions in the Middle East for gold's push above $3,020 an ounce.
Other big movers include Trustpilot Group, which jumped 14% after it said it had topped up its share buyback programme with another £20 million and nudged up its outlook for 2025 after reporting a five-star year for bookings, profitability and cash generation.
Close Brothers Group has swung to a first-half loss of £103.8 million as it made a £165 million provision relating to motor finance commissions, which it warned about last month.
On the FTSE 250, shares of Bytes Technology Group soared on its full-year trading update. Gross profit is expected to have grown 12% in the financial year ended 28 February 2025, well ahead of the City consensus of 9.2%.
