UK shares cheer upbeat earnings updates, trade signals

A slew of upbeat earnings updates sent both benchmark British indexes higher on Thursday, while the broader sentiment was buoyed by signs of a thaw in U.S.-China trade talks. The FTSE 100 added 0.3% and advanced for the fifth straight session, supported by miners, Asia-focused banks, as well as a 3% rise in insurer RSA and Auto Trader.

The FTSE 250 outperformed with a 0.5% rise, aided by a 9% surge in luxury carmaker Aston Martin after its quarterly results and a 7% jump in food ingredients firm Tate & Lyle after half-year profit beat estimates. China and the United States have agreed in the past two weeks to cancel tariffs imposed during their months-long trade war in different phases, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday.

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