MT Newswires -ShutterstockBritish equities closed lower on Thursday, with the UK's FTSE 100 0.73% in the red, as investors digested a fresh wave of corporate earnings. Centrica led the blue-chip index in retreat, closing 10.23% lower, after warning of a weaker outlook beyond 2026, particularly for its Centrica Energy business. The energy company, which swung to a profit in the first half, said Centrica Energy is expected to face a more challenging trading environment due to lower market volatility and actions to reduce risk exposure. The cost transformation programme continues which helps to underpin future 2030 guidance, however we expect that an early downgrade to the trading business 2027 will likely be taken negatively," RBC Capital Markets noted. On the macro front, data from the Confederation of British Industry showed that optimism among manufacturers in the UK remained negative in July, with the CBI Business Optimism Index at -36.