In London on Thursday, the FTSE 100 added 0.8 percent to 6,300.3 and the FTSE 250 was 0.39 percent higher to 11,233.
British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB) led the 100, adding 4.53 percent to 403.75p after ABN Amro (Eurnoext: AAB; NYSE: ABN) raised its recommendation on the airline from “sell” to “hold”.
Consumer goods maker Unilever (LSE: ULVR; Euronext: ENA; NYSE: UN) was 4.26 percent higher to £15.68 on strong second quarter results and an improved sales forecast for the full year.
In the retail sector, Marks & Spencer (LSE: MKS) gained 3.42 percent to 635.5p.
The worst performer on the 100 was pubs operator Mitchells & Butlers (LSE: MAB), which fell 4.68 percent to 713p after it delayed a property deal due to problems in the debt market.
The decline took rival pubs company Whitbread (LSE: WTB) down 3.93 percent to £15.88.
Miners also declined on the day.
Rio Tinto was 3.19 percent lower to £33.35, while Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) fell 2.56 percent to £16.73 and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) dropped 1.84 percent to £33.14.
On the 250, construction group Alfred McAlpine (LSE: MCA) was the best performer as it gained 5.91 percent to 475p after it announced that the company will be split into two separately listed companies, one dedicated to business services and the other offering infrastructures services and project services.
Electronics group Invensys (LSE: ISYS; OTC: IVNY) was 10.07 percent lower to 341.75p, for the worst performance of the session on the 250.