FTSE 100 gains as BoE holds rates and earnings impress
The FTSE 100 rose 1.6 percent on Thursday as the Bank of England held rates at 3.75 percent. Gains in Rolls-Royce and United Utilities led the index higher.
The United Kingdom X FTSE 100 1C rose 1.6% to 10,378.82 on April 30 as strong corporate earnings outweighed geopolitical tension. The blue-chip index snapped a losing streak alongside the midcap X FTSE 250 1D, which gained 1.2% following a central bank rate hold. The rally provides a reprieve for British equities, which have lagged European peers by 2% this month due to energy price volatility.
### Corporate Earnings Drive Benchmark Gains ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC provided the largest boost to the index, climbing 7.6% after the engineering firm reiterated its annual profit outlook. This optimism balanced a 4% decline for WEIR GROUP PLC/THE, which reported a drop in first-quarter orders. In the utility sector, UNITED UTILITIES GROUP PLC jumped 11.1% after forecasting higher revenue and expanding its five-year investment strategy.
