The FTSE 100 struck a new record high after another flurry of positive earnings updates helped the index score its fourth consecutive daily rise this week.
Shell, Endeavour Mining and St James’ Place all made notable gains on the index after positive updates to investors.
Stocks also performed well as yields on UK government bonds eased back further.
London’s top index finished 89.07 points, or 1.04%, higher to end the day at 8,646.88.
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “The footsie has cruised to a fresh all-time high, breaking past the psychologically important 8,600 mark, as investors seek shelter in its defensive qualities, amid market volatility.
“With an unpredictable President Trump back at the White House, and tariff threats left hanging, there’s more demand for assets which offer more reliable returns, and the dividend-strong FTSE 100 is coming into its own.
“Even a dip back in the oil price hasn’t put energy giants BP and Shell off their stride, and the prospect for lower fuel costs has given a tailwind to easyJet’s share price.”
The German Dax performed similarly well, striking a record high for its second consecutive session, as stocks across Europe were boosted by the European Central Bank’s move to cut interest rates again.
The Cac 40 ended 0.88% higher for the day and the Dax index was up 0.43%.
Stateside, it was a positive start to trading on Wall Street after US GDP slowed down to miss expectations.
Sterling stalled against the dollar, which was boosted by the weaker US economic growth data.
The pound was flat at 1.244 US dollars and was also up 0.03% at 1.194 euros when London’s markets closed.
In company news, Fever-Tree’s announcement that brewing giant Molson Coors has bought an 8.5% stake and granted it an exclusive rights deal in the US proved a tonic for investors in the drinks maker.
The company had recently seen its share value slip to its lowest level for over eight years but spiked again on Thursday after confirming the £71 million stake sale.
Shares in Fever-Tree were up 20.2% to 791p.
Oil giant Shell gained after it increased its dividend to shareholders despite a drop in profits for last year.
Shares rose by 2.62% to 2,663p after the London-listed company raised its dividend by 4% and said it hit its cost-cutting targets.
Mulberry shares were weaker after the handbag maker made nearly one-fifth less in revenue over the key Christmas period than the previous year, blaming a “challenging” business environment. Shares were down 5.1% at 92.5p as it launched a turnaround strategy.
The price of oil ticked slightly higher ahead of Friday’s Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index data.
A barrel of Brent crude oil was up by 0.4% to 76.89 dollars (£61.8) as markets were closing in London.
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were St James’s Place, up 101p to 1,030p, Airtel Africa, up 12p to 145p, Endeavour Mining, up 111p to 1,652p, Fresnillo, up 37.5p to 712.5p, and easyJet, up 20.9p to 511.6p.
The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Whitbread, down 68p to 2,849p, Admiral Group, down 47p to 2,707p, BT, down 2.35p to 143.65p, DS Smith, down 8.5p to 588.5p, and Sage Group, down 7.5p to 1,329p.
