U.K. stocks rose Tuesday, with gains for Prudential PLC and British Land Co. PLC following trading updates.
The FTSE 100 index UKX, +0.29% rose 0.2% to 6,688, adding to Monday’s rise of 0.3%, when the market turned higher on the prospect of further monetary stimulus for the eurozone from the European Central Bank.
Prudential PRU, +0.24% shares climbed 1.7% after the insurer said profit from new business rose 17% in the third quarter and that it’s confident about its prospects for the rest of the year.
British Land BLND, +0.73% shares gained 0.9% as the property developer said first-half profit rose on strong demand for commercial real estate in London. Underlying profit before tax rose 6.2% to 155 million pounds ($242.7 million).
Meanwhile, EasyJet PLC EZJ, -2.01% said full-year profit rose 22%, aided in part by strikes at rival carriers, but shares were trading lower by 0.9%.
Investors will look for the release of U.K. inflation data at 9:30 a.m. London time.
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Our panel will be led by MarketWatch Columnist Matthew Lynn, a renowned financial journalist based in London and the author of “Bust: Greece, the euro and the Sovereign Debt Crisis.” He’ll be joined by Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch columnist and editor of the Hulbert Financial Digest.
Source: MarketWatch
