- FTSE 100 up 0.9% to 6,533
- Gold up 0.43% to $1,366.33/oz
- £/$ 1.2954
Housebuilders were once again the top performers. Taylor Wimpey topped the index with a 7.7% rise, while Berkeley Group, Developments and Persimmon added between 7.5% and 6.2%.
Banks were also in demand, with RBS up 6.4% and Lloyds 5.9% higher.
In Europe, the Paris CAC 40 rose 1.8% to 4,190 and the German Xetra Dax added 2.2% to 9,629.
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In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4% to 18,146, the S&P 500 added 1.5% to 2,129 and the Nasdaq Composite was 1.6% higher at 4,956.
Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 4% to 15,708 and the broader Topix index gained 3.8% to 1,255. And in China, the CSI 300 added 0.4% to 3,203 and the Shanghai Composite was 0.2% higher at 2,994.
Brent spot was trading at $46.17 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $44.78. Spot gold was trading at $1,359 an ounce, silver was at $20.25 and platinum was at $1,093.
In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.2902 and against the euro at 1.1700. The dollar was trading at 0.9068 against the euro and 101.93 against the Japanese yen.
And in the UK, Rolls-Royce has acquired full-ownership of Spanish engine-components maker Industria de Turbo Propulsores SA. It paid €720m for the 53.1% of the company it doesn't already own, "to generate additional opportunities for profit growth", according to CEO Warren East.
