NEW YORK: U.K. stocks advanced amid a rally in commodity producers and better-than-expected results.
Legal & General Group Plc added 1.8 percent after the biggest manager of U.K. pension assets reported first-half earnings that beat analysts’ estimates. London Stock Exchange Group Plc gained 2.1 percent after posting higher-than-forecast first-half operating profit. BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto Group led a gauge of miners to a second day of gains.
Standard Chartered Plc rose 0.9 percent as its chief executive officer vowed to boost returns and signaled it may not need to raise capital after first-half profit slid 44 percent.
The FTSE 100 Index added 0.2 percent to 6,701.16 at 10:16 a.m. in London. Shares were little changed Tuesday amid deal activity, as losses in banks offset gains in commodity shares.
