LONDON: U.K. stocks advanced, rebounding from yesterday’s drop, as voters in the nation prepared for Thursday’s election and polls continued to show no clear winner.
Imperial Tobacco Group Plc rose 2.6 percent after saying it will start paying quarterly dividends and first-half profit rose. Vodafone Group Plc increased 1.5 percent after Exane BNP Paribas raised its recommendation on the phone carrier to the equivalent of a buy.
The FTSE 100 Index gained 0.5 percent to 6,960.02 at 9:01 a.m. in London. A decline in HSBC Holdings Plc helped push U.K. stocks lower yesterday. The FTSE All-Share Index added 0.3 percent, while Ireland’s ISEQ Index retreated 1 percent.
