BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks advanced on Tuesday as Glencore's upbeat trading update as well as a rise in commodity prices boosted miners.
The benchmark FTSE 100 rose 28 points, or 0.4 percent, to 6,784 after climbing as much as 2.5 percent in the previous session.
The pound rose against its major peers as investors reacted to the rapid rollout of Covid-19 vaccines and the possible easing of lockdown restrictions in England.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that his government will be 'very prudent' in relaxing restrictions as it wants to ensure irreversible progress.
The PM plans to unveil his roadmap for gradually easing restrictions on February 22.
Over the weekend, the U.K. reached a significant milestone of offering first doses of Covid-19 vaccinations to 15 million people by mid-February.
Glencore surged 2.7 percent. The world's biggest commodity trader swung to profit in the second half of the year and reinstated its dividend.
Mining giant BHP was marginally higher. The company declared a record interim dividend after posting its best first-half profit in seven years.
Anglo American rose about 1 percent and Antofagasta added half a percent while oil company BP Plc advanced 1.5 percent and Royal Dutch Shell gained 1.3 percent.
Drug maker AstraZeneca dropped about 1 percent despite the World Health Organization approving AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX