BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks rose on Monday as investors reacted to more positive news on the vaccine front and watched the status of trade negotiations between the U.K. and the European Union.
The benchmark FTSE 100 rose 28 points, or 0.4 percent, to 6,379 after edging up 0.3 percent on Friday.
AstraZeneca shares fell nearly 2 percent. The pharmaceutical giant said an interim analysis of clinical trials showed its coronavirus vaccine has an average efficacy of 70 percent in protecting against the virus.
The company plans to immediately prepare regulatory submission of the data to worldwide authorities for conditional or early approval.
McBride tumbled 3.3 percent. The maker of retailer own brand household goods said that its full year outlook on trading remains unchanged.
Media company Daily Mail and General Trust advanced 1.6 percent despite reporting a fall in earnings for the year ended 30 September 2020.
Aviva gained 1.8 percent. The insurance company has agreed to sell its entire 80 percent shareholding in the Italian life insurance joint venture, Aviva Vita S.p.A., to its partner UBI Banca.
Vodafone rose over 1 percent. The telecommunications company said it will bring forward by ten years its original 2050 target to reach 'net zero' across its full carbon footprint.
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