FTSE 100 Falls From All-time-high

(RTTNews) - The FTSE 100 benchmark of the London Stock Exchange has declined from the record highs touched on Wednesday. Corporate earning updates, geopolitical tensions as well as the hawkish overtones in the Fed minutes contributed to the slippage.

The FTSE 100 which had closed at 10,686.18 on Wednesday traded between 10,589.35 and 10,686.30 on Thursday.

The index is currently trading at 10,620.34, losing 0.62 percent from the previous close. At current levels, the benchmark has gained close to 22 percent over the course of the past one year.

In the 100-scrip index, only 25 scrips are trading in the overnight green zone. RELX topped gains with a surge of 4.2 percent. Mondi rallied 2.6 percent followed by Beazley that added 1.7 percent. The Sage Group as well as LondonMetric Property gained more than 1 percent in Thursday's trading.

Centrica slipped 5.3 percent amidst unchanged guidance. Rio Tinto slipped 3.4 percent after reporting flat full year profit. Antofagasta followed with losses of 3.1 percent.

Bond yields hardened across regions and tenors as the FOMC minutes released on Wednesday poured cold water on any hopes of immediate rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Bond markets across the globe worried as Fed officials worried about inflation combat. In tandem with the spike in yields globally, bonds in the U.K. also hardened. Ten-year bond yields in the U.K. increased 0.37 percent to 4.3910 percent. The yields ranged between 4.4040 percent and 4.3770 percent over the course of the day. Yields had closed at 4.3750 percent a day earlier.

As hawkish Fed minutes lifted the greenback, the six-currency Dollar Index has rallied to 97.81 from 97.70 at close on Wednesday and 97.15 at close on Tuesday. The GBP/USD pair has in the meanwhile dropped 0.27 percent to 1.3467. The sterling ranged between $1.3516 and $1.3458 in the day's trade. The EUR/GBP pair edged up 0.13 percent to 0.8743. The GBP/JPY pair is currently trading 0.33 percent lower at 208.34 after ranging between 209.54 and 208.09.