FTSE 100 holds on to slight gains; Wall Street digests positive jobless claims

• FTSE 100 adds 37 points
• US stocks see mixed performance
• UK service sector growth fastest since 2013

5:05pm: BoE meeting propels FTSE to positive day

The FTSE 100 ended Thursday up 37 points, 0.5%, at 7,076, while the FTSE 250 added 105 points, 0.5%, to 22,491.

“UK stocks have managed to stave off any of the losses seen on mainland Europe, with a positive assessment from the highlighting a strong 2021,” IG Senior Market Analyst Joshua Mahony said. “The Bank of England meeting gave plenty of grounds for optimism, with the bank raising forecasts to predict the best year of growth since the second world war. The dramatic upgrade in growth forecasts saw the bank predict a rate of 7.25% over the course of 2021; up from the February outlook for 5%.”

Across the pond, the Dow was up 171 points, 0.5%, to 34,401 at midday. The Nasdaq was ticked down 4 points to 13,578, and the S&P 500 picked up 13 points, 0.3%, to 4,181.

“US jobless claims continue to fall, raising expectations of another strong jobs report tomorrow,” Mahony wrote. “Meanwhile, pharmaceutical stocks have lagged, with plans to remove vaccine patents sparking downside for the likes of BoiNTech, Moderna and .”

3.57pm: Markets drift despite positive economic news

With Wall Street in the doldrums there is little to inspire the UK market, despite a whole raft of good economic news, including positive UK service sector data and the raising its growth forecasts.

But the FTSE 100 is just managing to hold its head above water, and is currently up 9.3 points or 0.13% at 7048.6.

In the US the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 0.15%, the S&P 500 has dipped 0.15% and the Nasdaq Composite is down 0.56%.

Risers in the blue chip index include the tobacco companies and miners, plus utilities. PLC () has added 21.8p or 2.4% at 931.9p while United UtilitiesPLC () is up 19.4p or 2.01% at 985.4p.

3pm: Proactive North America headlines:

Predictmedix Inc () () deploys Safe Entry Stations at long-term care residence in partnership with Optima Living

Ltd () (OTCQB:GRSLF) (FRA:GPE) takes sole ownership of promising San Marcial project in Mexico after finalizing deal with SSR Mining

() () (FRA:4021) starts assessing benefits of its technology at tomato greenhouse in the UK

Inc ()  says its BIOSt Nematicide seed treatment product achieved outstanding climate impact score of 9.8 out of 10

Inc () (FRA:PFX1) CEO Paul Duffy lays out path for its treatment and services segments to come roaring back this year

() to expand its sponsored research program with Purdue University for rare earth element purification

(CNSX:HEAT.CN) () (FRA:7HIA.F) appoints David Farrell as a strategic advisor to help guide innovation mapping and drive business expansion effort

NexTech AR Solutions Corp () () () says its Virtual Experience Platform selected to host Canadian Higher Education Information Technology Conference

Codebase Ventures  Inc () (FRA:C5B) () amends agreement to secure efficient bitcoin mining infrastructure swiftly

() (OTCPINK:RFHRF) (FRA:9RR) reports more drill results from Parbec expected to positively impact resource estimate

Inc () () says it has found a new CFO, CCO and two board members in management transformation

Great Panther Mining Limited (TSE:GPR) (NYSEAMERICAN:GPL) (FRA:G3U) says firmer metals prices and weaker Brazilian currency boosted first quarter numbers

Inc () (FRA:45O) reaches milestone with US FDA approval of Tissue Icellator2 pilot trial

Inc () () (FRA:JAM1) announces start of REBORN1 clinical trial using QIXLEEF to treat cancer pain

2.39pm: Wall Street makes mixed start

Wall Street has made a mixed start to Thursday’s session despite the latest US jobless claims data coming in better than expected.

In the early minutes of trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.15% at 34,280 while the S&P 500 dropped 0.09% to 4,163 and the Nasdaq dipped 0.42% to 13,524.

Back in London, the FTSE 100 had inched up slightly…