Weaker pound, commodity stocks lift FTSE 100 ahead of services activity data By Reuters

(Reuters) – London’s FTSE 100 climbed on Wednesday as heavyweight commodity stocks gained and a weaker pound lifted exporters, while investors awaited final March service sector activity data later in the day.

The blue-chip index rose 0.6%, with shares of large dollar-earning consumer staples companies including Unilever (LON:ULVR), Diageo (LON:DGE) Plc and British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) gaining between 0.3% and 1.4% on a softer pound. (GBP=)

Energy Group BP (LON:BP) Plc and Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSa) Plc rose 1.8% and 0.8% respectively, while miners Rio Tinto (LON:RIO), BHP and Glencore (LON:GLEN) Plc added more than 1% each on higher crude and metal prices. [O/R][MET/L]

The domestically focussed mid-cap FTSE 250 index advanced 0.5%, with Hilton Food Group jumping 2.1% after it reported an annual adjusted operating profit of 67 million pounds and proposed a final dividend of 19 pence per share.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Plc fell 0.8% after the University of Oxford paused a small UK trial testing the drugmaker’s COVID-19 vaccine in children and teenagers, as it waits for more data on rare blood clotting issues in adults who received the shot.