(Reuters) -Britain’s blue-chip index rose on Tuesday as an extended U.S.-China tariff truce bolstered investor sentiment, while markets also focused on the day’s key economic data releases.
As of 0947 GMT, the blue-chip FTSE 100 gained 0.3% and the midcap index was little changed.
The 90-day extension of the tariff truce between the world’s two largest economies provided temporary relief to investors about global trade, effectively postponing potentially damaging triple-digit duties on Chinese exports to the U.S.
In UK markets, Spirax surged 13%, leading gains on the blue-chip index, after the manufacturing group forecast organic sales growth accelerating in the second half of the year on a strong order book.
Bellway inched 1.4% higher after it expects to build more homes in its new financial year. The outlook lifted the broader UK housing sector index by 0.7%.
London-listed Atalaya Mining Copper climbed 7.1% after the miner raised its copper production outlook for the financial year 2025, lifting the broader industrial metal miners index by 0.5%.
Economic data on the day revealed Britain’s jobs market continues to soften, with payrolls declining for a sixth consecutive month and vacancies decreasing further. However, persistent wage growth underscored the Bank of England’s cautious approach toward interest rate cuts.
With the central bank’s policymakers split over the risks of a hiring slump and a pickup in inflation pressures, the new figures pointed to a continued cooling of the labour market, albeit less sharply than in recent months.
Investors now await U.S. inflation data release, which is expected to begin reflecting tariff-driven cost pressures in the world’s largest economy as companies pass on expenses to consumers.
Back home, the technology sector led sectoral declines, falling 0.7%.
Among other stocks, gambling firm Entain dropped 3.6% despite forecasting its annual core profit outlook above market expectations.
(Reporting by Ragini Mathur in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
