FTSE 100 Muted on Lower Risk Appetite

The FTSE 100 was subdued at 8,580 on Thursday, erasing most of its earlier wins, as the risk sentiment worsened after US economic data strengthened the case for Fed to postpone interest rate cuts.

The largest falls were logged by BAE Systems (-5.3%), Rolls-Royce (-3.8%), Relx (-2.5%), Diageo (-1.9%), Glencore (-1.6%), and Rio Tinto (-1.6%).

Meanwhile, J Sainsbury dropped by 3.8%, discarding the projection for extraordinary 2024 results.

In contrast, Anglo American jumped by 13.5% after confirming the potential buyer, non-binding, conditional, all-share BHP buyout proposal.

Valued at £29 billion, the deal will require the demergers of company's platinum and iron ore businesses.

Astra Zeneca also shot up by 6.1%, having beaten the revenue expectations for the first quarter.

The group also raised the dividend for the year to $3.10 per share.

Meanwhile, Unilever grew by 4.8% on better-than-anticipated sales and Barclays advanced by 5.8% despite seeing a decrease in profits.