UK stocks advance for first time in three days

London - Gains in miners boosted British equities after two days of declines.

Anglo American and Rio Tinto advanced more than 2.5% as rising steel output and prices in China lifted commodities.

Insurer St. James’s Place climbed 2.9% after posting gains in funds under management. National Express added 3.1% after reporting an increase in profit and saying it will deliver strong growth. Whitbread dropped 2.7% as analysts said its pipeline is slowing, while GKN slid 1.9 after saying it sees lower market growth.

The FTSE 100 Index climbed 0.5% at 09:26, rebounding from a one-week low. The FTSE 250 Index of mid-cap companies was little changed, while the FTSE Small Cap excluding investment trusts index gained 0.3%. The regional Stoxx Europe 600 Index advanced 0.4%.

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