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FTSE 100 up 0.7%, FTSE 250 up 0.6%

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Oil stocks rise as crude surges around 5%

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LSEG, Rentokil climb after earnings

(Updates after markets close)

Oct 23 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 index closed at a

record high on Thursday, lifted by oil stocks and positive

results from blue-chip firms such as the London Stock Exchange

Group ( LDNXF ) and Rentokil.

The commodity-heavy FTSE 100 index rose as much as

0.8% to a record high of 9,594.82 points during the session,

before ending up 0.7%.

Oil majors Shell and BP gained 3.2% and 3.8%

respectively, as crude prices rose nearly 5%

after the U.S. imposed sanctions on major Russian suppliers

Rosneft and Lukoil over the Ukraine war.

On the earnings front, the London Stock Exchange Group ( LDNXF )

jumped 6.7% after the exchange operator said it would

sell 20% of its post-trade services business, announced a

surprise 1 billion pound ($1.34 billion) buyback and reported

better-than-expected third-quarter results.

Rentokil jumped 9.8% after the pest control firm

reported a better-than-expected rise in quarterly organic

revenue.

A largely upbeat earnings season, a jump in commodity stocks

and signs of cooling inflation that supported bets of a Bank of

England interest rate cut have supported UK equity markets this

week. The FTSE 100 is on track for its best weekly performance

since mid-April.

The FTSE midcap index of domestically oriented stocks

rose 0.6%, ending at a near four-year high.

An index of UK precious metal miners advanced

3.7%, tracking gold prices, as U.S. sanctions against Russia and

possible new export controls on China stoked geopolitical

concerns, buoying demand for safe-haven assets.

On the downside, Holiday Inn owner InterContinental Hotels ( IHG )

dipped 1.5% as slowing growth in U.S. markets

overshadowed a rise in a key revenue metric.

Molten Ventures ( GRWXF ) jumped 14.6% to the top of the FTSE

250 after the VC firm forecast 7.2% growth in its net asset

value.

AJ Bell fell 2.4% to the bottom of FTSE 250 after

the investment platform reported outflows of 1.5 billion pounds

($2.01 billion) at the end of September in its advised platform

segment, resulting in lower sequential net inflows.