(For a live blog on European stocks, type LIVE/ in an Eikon
news window)
* FTSE 100 up 0.2%, FTSE 250 flat
July 23 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 rose on Thursday as a
slate of upbeat quarterly earnings reports bolstered optimism
about a post-pandemic corporate rebound, with Unilever surging
after reporting a much lower drop in sales than feared.
The Anglo-Dutch maker of Dove soaps and Knorr soups ULVR.L
jumped 6.8% to the top of the FTSE 100 as it said a strong
performance in North America helped offset the hit from
coronavirus lockdowns. The blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 0.2%, with the world's
biggest advertising firm, WPP WPP.L , also among the top
gainers after a strong quarterly showing by French rival
Publicis Groupe SA PUBP.PA . The mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC was flat with gains in consumer
staples, materials and energy stocks offset by declines for
financials and real estate firms.
Security contractor G4S GFS.L rose 4.3% to the top of the
FTSE 250 after reporting a higher-than-expected first-half
operating profit.