Aston Martin cruised ahead as the company cashed in on wealthy buyers snapping up supercars.

The James Bond car maker delivered 118 of its 'special' models in the first half of the year.

This was sharply up from 38 a year ago thanks to sales of the Valkyrie and Valour supercars, which raised the average selling price by 29pc to £274,000.

Losses hit £216.7m in the six months to the end of June, up from £142.2m, but the group maintained it was entering the second half of 2024 'on track' with its plans.

Aston Martin said it is at a 'pivotal moment' in its turnaround programme, having launched a new version of its flagship Vanquish sports car and selling out the DB12 into 2025.

Chairman Lawrence Stroll said: 'Our high performance products and ultra-luxury brand positioning strategies are creating strong demand amongst a new audience and existing loyal customers.'

Aston Martin also said Adrian Hallmark will start as chief executive on September 1. Shares gained 6.5pc, or 9.7p, to 159.7p.

The FTSE100 fell 0.17pc, or 13.68 points, to 8153.69 and the FTSE 250 lost 0.67pc, or 140.65 points, to 20,950.84 as the latest rout in US tech stocks took its toll.

Luxury stocks around Europe also tumbled after fashion giant LVMH reported weaker sales as shoppers tightened their spending belts. The company, which owns brands such as Christian Dior,

Givenchy and Marc Jacobs, said sales rose 1pc to £17.6bn in the three months to the end of June. This was a smaller increase than the first quarter and below the 3pc rise analysts had expected.

Sales in Asia slumped 14pc in another sign that demand was slowing from China. LVMH shares dipped 4.7pc, Gucci owner Kering fell 4.5pc and Richemont, which owns jeweller Cartier, slid 1.7pc.

The European football championships helped LBG Media report a strong first half of trading.

The digital publisher, which is behind titles including LADBIBLE, said sales surged 55pc to £42.3m in the six months to the end of June. As a result of the Euros, LBG Media said it has gained opportunities to work with brands seeking to reach younger adult audiences. Shares rose 7.7pc, or 8.5p, to 118.5p. Pub chain Marston's also benefited from the Euros as like-for-like sales rose 8pc in the week of the semi-final and final matches.

And revenues rose 2.4pc in the 16 weeks to July 20. Shares gained 2.5pc, or 0.95p, to 39.1p.

Gold miners rallied following positive updates.

Fresnillo maintained its annual production forecasts despite facing heavy rain at one of its mines in the second quarter to the end of June. Shares in the Mexican explorer rose 1.2pc, or 7p, to 607p.

Hochschild Mining said it remains on track to meet its output forecast for 2024 following a strong second quarter that included its new mine in Brazil producing gold in mid-May.

And gold prices averaged around nearly $2,300 an ounce during the quarter. Shares added 3.8pc, or 6.8p, to 183.8p.