LONDON: British mid-caps tracked a rally in Asian shares on Thursday as hopes of a swift economic recovery this year boosted demand for riskier assets, while building materials maker Ibstock jumped after lifting its profit forecast.
Shares of Ibstock jumped 7.7% to the top of the FTSE 250 after the company said fourth-quarter activity benefited from better-than-expected demand for new houses and repairs.
The domestically focussed FTSE 250 index added 0.3%, with industrial stocks leading the gains. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was unchanged at 0941 GMT, with strength in financial stocks being offset by declines in the energy sector.
Pets at Home Group Plc rose 1.4% after reporting an 18% jump in third-quarter revenue, while trading platform IG Group fell 0.6% after it said it planned to buy online brokerage tastytrade for $1 billion.
Sports betting and gaming company Entain Plc dropped 1.4%. It named non-executive director Jette Nygaard-Andersen as its top boss, making her the first woman to lead a firm in the UK gambling industry.
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