UK's FTSE 100 advanced on Thursday as bright forecasts from the likes of Rolls-Royce and the London Stock Exchange Group helped the blue-chip index buck the weakness in other European bourses due to the latest U.

British stocks ended mixed, with the FTSE 100 lifted by Rolls-Royce and LSEG's optimistic forecasts, while Ocado's slower rollout impacted the midcap index. Rolls-Royce shares surged as targets were raised,

Shares in the engine manufacturer soared by more than 15% after it also said it would buy back about £1 billion of stock from investors.