Strong earnings drive FTSE 100 higher; midcaps underperform

London's FTSE 100 climbed on Thursday, boosted by a series of positive earnings updates from companies, including Smith+Nephew and Unilever, while a fall in shares of WH Smith capped gains on the midcap index. The blue-chip index (.FTSE) rose 0.7% with medical products maker Smith+Nephew (SN.L) jumping 4.6% to the...