The FTSE 100 climbed to near-record highs above 10,900 on Wednesday, supported by strong corporate earnings from several heavyweight constituents. Rio Tinto gained around 1.8% after reporting a sharp rise in second-quarter profit and outlining plans to further reduce costs and strengthen cash generation. Standard Chartered advanced nearly 3% as the bank posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings and announced a new share buyback. Reckitt was among the top performers, surging about 7% after quarterly sales exceeded forecasts, following similarly upbeat results from Unilever. Glencore also rose more than 4% after forecasting first-half marketing earnings of roughly $3.3 billion. Oil majors BP and Shell added over 1% as Brent crude rebounded amid renewed geopolitical tensions. Meanwhile, Aberdeen Group fell more than 5.5% on weaker first-half fund flows, while St James’s Place slipped 0.5% despite reporting stronger-than-expected assets under management and continued client inflows.