London's FTSE 100 just ticked up on Thursday morning, following a steady decline so far this week.
A busier day in London brought several reports, including from ABF, which led the FTSE 100’s fallers early on after revealing subsidiary Primark faced a drop in first-half sales.
Housebuilder Vistry climbed in the meantime, having announced £130 million worth of buybacks on the back of a jump in sales and profit over the first half.
Currys slipped after reporting enthusiasm around AI-enabled products was growing in the UK and Ireland, but subdued conditions remained in the Nordics.
And finally, news that ASOS was to create a joint venture and offload a majority stake in its Topshop and Topman brands to the parent of Denmark’s Bestseller saw shares soar as the market opened.