LONDON: U.K. stocks rose for a second day, with the FTSE 100 Index extending a 15-year high and inching closer to a record.
The gauge added 15.54 points, or 0.2 percent, to 6,913.67 at 8:48 a.m. London. The FTSE 100 is about 16 points away from its record reached in December 1999. The broader FTSE All-Share Index rose 0.3 percent to the highest level since at least 1962. Ireland’s ISEQ Index added 1 percent to halt a three-day losing streak.
The Bank of England will publish the minutes of its Monetary Policy Committee’s February meeting at 9:30 a.m. Policy makers at the meeting decided to maintain the key interest rate at an all-time low. A report on Tuesday showed U.K.’s inflation rate in January fell more than economists forecast to the lowest on record.
Another release may show Britain’s jobless rate based on International Labor Organization methods held at 5.8 percent in the three months through December, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
Among stocks moving on Wednesday, gains of more than 1.2 percent for BG Group Plc and Tullow Oil Plc pushed energy companies higher. De La Rue Plc advanced 4.4 percent, heading for its biggest two-day rally since November 2013, amid reports of a possible bid for the banknote printer. Intu Properties Plc slid 1.8 percent as Barclays Plc recommended selling the shares.
