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UK stocks drifted lower on Thursday but were still hovering near annual highs as investors continued to assess the economic impact of the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant.
At 0819, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 10.31 points, or 0.1%, at 7,410.38, having touched a year-high of 7,457 on Wednesday.
Oil company Harbour Energy gained 1.2% to 357.8p on announcing that it had encountered hydrocarbon-bearing intervals at a well in the North Sea.
The well had encountering hydrocarbon-bearing intervals in the Palaeocene, Jurassic and Triassic areas. 'The commerciality of these marginal accumulations will be assessed,' Harbour said.
Property group Secure Income REIT firmed 0.5% to 414p following news that it had paid £33.5 million to Merlin Entertainments to extend the lease term of a property portfolio.
The leases were for Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Warwick Castle in the UK and Heide Park in Germany and were extended by 35 years, from 20.5 years currently, to 55.5 years.
Shipping group Tufton Oceanic Assets advanced 0.5% to 1.38c after it agreed to acquire two vessels for a combined $54.5 million.
The acquisitions included a product tanker for $30.9 million and a handysize bulker for $23.6 million.
Mining minnow Ironveld dropped 12% to 0.85p, having posted a full-year loss as it develops a vanadium and titanium project in Limpopo province, South Africa.
Ironveld's pre-tax losses for the year through June amounted to £0.47 million, compared to a year-on-year loss of £1.02 million.