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On Thursday, the UK's leading stock index saw another modest increase up 0.18% on the session. The UK market of blue chips once again managed to absorb early selling pressure driven by investor concerns regarding earnings to trade modestly up on the session.

On the positive side of the ledger Intermediate Capital Group's shares rose by over 7%, placing it at the top of the FTSE 100 index. The asset manager reported total assets under management (AUM) of $86.3 billion as of December 31, marking a 12% increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, fee earning AuM also saw a 10% increase from the previous year. The company became a member of the FTSE blue-chip index on December 18, and its stock has gained approximately 46% in value in 2023.

On the negative side of the ledger St James's Place Plc shares plummeted by as much as 6%, making it the top percentage loser on the FTSE 100 index. The financial advice company experienced a slowdown in inflows due to subdued risk appetite, despite seeing an increase in funds under management to 168.20 billion pounds ($214 billion) by December 31st, compared to 158.57 billion pounds at the end of September and 148.37 billion pounds at the end of 2022. Net inflows for the year were at 5.12 billion pounds, down from 9.78 billion pounds in 2022. If the trend continues, the stock is set to have its worst day since October 13, 2023.Vying for the bottom spot RS Group, an industrial parts distributor, saw a decrease in third-quarter like-for-like sales by 10% due to underperforming markets and slower reduction of customer surplus inventory, especially in electronics and related products, these results led investors to shed shares leaving the stock down over 2.6% on the day

FTSE Bias: Bullish Above Bearish below 7500

• Below 7375 opens 7320
• Primary support at 7382
• Primary objective 7827
• 20 Day VWAP bearish 5 Day VWAP bullish

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