Energy, consumer staples stocks boost FTSE 100; Bloomsbury jumps By Reuters

(Reuters) – London’s FTSE 100 index edged higher on Wednesday, helped by gains in heavyweight energy and consumer staples stocks, while Bloomsbury Publishing jumped following a strong earnings update.

The blue-chip index rose 0.5%, with oil majors BP (LON:BP) and Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSa) climbing 0.7% and 1% respectively, on higher crude prices. [O/R]

Large dollar-earning consumer staples companies including Reckitt Benckiser Group, Diageo (LON:DGE) and Unilever (LON:ULVR) provided the biggest boost to the index.

The domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index advanced 0.3%, touching a record high.

Bloomsbury Publishing added 5.5% as the Harry Potter publisher declared a special dividend and lifted targets for the current year, after strong book sales during lockdowns drove a 22% surge in its annual earnings.