FTSE 100 exhibited little movement on Thursday, maintaining stability after two successive record-setting sessions. The performance was characterized by a decline in industrial stocks, which counterbalanced the advancements in financials. Meanwhile, Tesco shares experienced an uptick following the supermarket giant’s revision of its annual profit outlook upwards.

The blue-chip index experienced an increase of 0.04% as of 0930. Tesco opens new tab rose 4.2% after raising its full-year profit forecast, buoyed by continued market share gains from rivals. “Tesco’s extensive range of offerings across various price points is facilitating its ability to achieve consistent market share growth,” stated Matt Britzman. “However, the valuation appears to be largely aligned with current events, thus today’s upgrade is unlikely to generate significant enthusiasm in the stock market.” In the financial sector, 3i Group opens new tab advanced 3.1% following a report that the private equity firm is exploring potential divestments of its assets, including French information technology maintenance provider Evernex.

Asset manager ICG opens a new tab at the top of the FTSE 100 gainers list, rising 4.5%, following the announcement of an anticipated one-off gain of 65 million to 75 million pounds in the first half of financial year 2026, resulting from adjustments to performance fee revenue recognition. The gains in the stocks boosted the investment banking index by 1.6%. On the downside, the industrial support services sector declined 3%, with credit data company Experian falling 6.6% to become the index’s worst performer. The decline followed an announcement from FICO launching a direct-to-reseller licensing model for its credit score algorithm, potentially reducing reliance on credit bureaus such as Experian.

Healthcare stocks eased 0.2% after surging 8.7% in the previous session. The domestically focused midcap FTSE 250 edged 0.1% higher. The midcap index saw the largest increase after Morgan Sindall, a construction company, said that its financial year 2025 profits would be “significantly” better than anticipated. The company’s new tab rose 11% to record high levels. Investors are closely observing the situation surrounding the U.S. government shutdown, as it is expected to postpone the publication of essential U.S. employment figures scheduled for later this week.