Investing.com – U.K. stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Fixed Line Telecommunications , Healthcare Equipment & Services and Industrial Metals & Mining sectors led shares lower.

At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 fell 0.23%.

The best performers of the session on the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 were Next PLC (LON: NXT ), which rose 10.51% or 1,049.00 points to trade at 11,035.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LON: MKS ) added 3.45% or 11.60 points to end at 348.30 and Compass Group PLC (LON: CPG ) was up 2.76% or 69.00 points to 2,565.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Antofagasta PLC (LON: ANTO ), which fell 5.95% or 112.50 points to trade at 1,777.50 at the close. M&G Plc (LON: MNG ) declined 5.56% or 12.10 points to end at 205.60 and Taylor Wimpey PLC (LON: TW ) was down 4.42% or 5.00 points to 108.05.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the London Stock Exchange by 1059 to 712 and 612 ended unchanged.

Shares in Next PLC (LON: NXT ) rose to all time highs; gaining 10.51% or 1,049.00 to 11,035.00. Shares in Taylor Wimpey PLC (LON: TW ) fell to 52-week lows; down 4.42% or 5.00 to 108.05.

Gold Futures for June delivery was up 1.33% or 40.61 to $3,092.91 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in May rose 0.06% or 0.04 to hit $69.69 a barrel, while the June Brent oil contract unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 to trade at $73.06 a barrel.

GBP/USD was up 0.57% to 1.30, while EUR/GBP unchanged 0.11% to 0.83.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.29% at 103.91.