UK stocks edge higher on hopes of US-Iran talks
21/04/2026 11:20
For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window April 21 (Reuters) - UK's main stock indexes posted modest gains on Tuesday, led by advances in financials, as hopes of possible ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran bolstered investor confidence. The U.S. voiced confidence that peace talks with Iran in Pakistan would proceed, while Tehran said it was considering joining, though uncertainty remained as the ceasefire nears its end. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE rose 0.1% to 10,628.63 points by 1020 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 .FTMC gained 0.9%. Heavyweight bank HSBC HSBA.L and Standard Chartered STAN.L rose 1% and 1.2%, respectively, leading to a 0.6% gain in the broader banks index .FTNMX301010. Britain's labour market cooled only marginally in the three months to February, with pay growth easing less than expected and unemployment falling largely due to students leaving the workforce. British Land Company BLND.L rose 2.4% after the real estate group raised annual earnings forecast on higher demand from AI and tech companies. The benchmark FTSE 100 is up 4.4% so far this month, underperforming its European peers. The pan-European STOXX 600 .STOXX and German's DAX .GDAXI are up 7.8% and 8.3%, respectively. E-commerce group THG THG.L jumped 7.3% after reporting strongest first-quarter revenue since 2021. Miner Rio Tinto posted higher first-quarter iron ore sales, but flagged supply-chain risks in the second half, owing to the Middle East war. Its shares gained 0.4%. Precious metal miners Fresnillo FRES.L and Hochschild HOCM.L fell 0.7% and 1.3%, respectively, tracking a decline in gold and silver prices. Associated British Foods ABF.L said it would split fashion chain Primark from its foods business. Its shares fell 3.1%. Power generator SSE SSE.L rose a further 4.2% after plunging more than 10% last week following Finance Minster Rachel Reeves's plans to weaken the link between cost of electricity and gas prices. The utilities sector .FTUB6510 was up 1.4%. (Reporting by Utkarsh Tushar Hathi; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar) ((utkarshtushar.hathi@thomsonreuters.com))