FTSE 100 breaks 9,000 points for the first time, boosted by positive earnings season with stocks like BT and Reckitt Benckiser making 10% daily moves.

UK stocks, previously unloved, are now benefiting from defensive qualities like steady earnings from industries such as tobacco, utilities, and telecoms.

Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems lead the FTSE higher, with Morningstar UK Index up 14.05% year to date, its best start since 2019.

FTSE 100 index history shows slow grind to 9,000 points, with key support and resistance levels at 6,000, 7,000, 8,000 before breaching 9,000. Each 1,000 point increase took 17 years, eight years, and one year to achieve.

Read more at Morningstar: A Record Week For UK Stocks