Royal Mail, Restaurant Group pull FTSE 250 higher By Reuters

(Reuters) – London’s FTSE 250 index rose on Tuesday, helped by gains in Restaurant Group and Royal Mail (LON:RMG), while a jump in Aveva Group (LON:AVV) kept the FTSE 100 index afloat.

The domestically focussed mid-cap FTSE 250 index advanced 0.4%. Restaurant Group jumped 3% after the Frankie & Benny’s owner said sales were recovering nicely as Britons stepped out to dine after the lifting of lockdowns.

Royal Mail climbed 4.3% after Peel Hunt upgraded the stock to “buy” from “hold”.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.1%, with industrial software company Aveva adding 4.3% after saying the business environment had improved in most of its major markets, giving it confidence about the year ahead.

However, gains on the index were limited as a stronger pound weighed on large dollar-earning consumer staple companies including British American Tobacco (LON:BATS), Diageo (LON:DGE) and Imperial Brands (LON:IMB). (GBP=)