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UK stocks opened higher on Wednesday, buoyed by positive corporate trading updates from the likes of SSE, Serco and Boohoo.
At 0824, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 26.39 points, or 0.4%, at 6,269.18.
Energy utility SSE sparked 9.4% higher to £13.8853, even as it booked a 55% drop in annual profit owing to a loss on its recently-sold retail power business, though its underlying profit improved.
SSE cut its dividend, as already expected, and said it was continuing to target delivery of its five-year dividend plan, running from the 2019 to the 2023 financial years.
Outsourced services provider Serco jumped 12% to 148.9p on guiding for a rise in first-half underlying trading profit of about 50%, with the company having experienced limited impacts from the Covid-19 crisis.
Serco also reinstated guidance for the full year that included upgraded revenue expectations.
Online fashion retailer Boohoo rallied 9.6% to 426.82p as it forecast its annual performance to beat market expectations after it reported a jump in first-quarter revenue.
Also making news, home builder Berkeley rose 2.4% to £43.24, despite announcing that its profit fell by more than a third as it sold fewer homes in a declining price environment.
Berkley said it entered the coming year from a position of relative strength, with net cash of £1.14bn and forward sales of £1.9bn.
DIY group Kingfisher gained 4.5% to 212.5p even as it booked 66% slump in annual profit amid a continued poor showing from its French business.
Kingfisher also said its performance had improved in May following a slump in April as it gradually reopened shuttered stores in the UK and France.
Gambling company William Hill dropped 5.0% to 132p after it pitched a £224m equity raising to bolster its balance sheet at 128p a share.
Infrastructure products supplier Hill & Smith shed 3.7% to £12.52 on announcing that it had seen a 'modest recovery' in performance in May as lockdown measures eased.
The company, however, stressed it remained cautious given market uncertainty.
Banknote printer De La Rue slid 5.8% to 143.96p, even as it reported a rise in profit as lower costs and a gain on the sale of its international identity solutions business offset a fall in revenue.
Structural steel group Severfield firmed 2.0% to 75p, having posted a 4.5% rise in annual profit. The company has suspended dividends until it gets more clarity on the impact of Covid-19.