London stocks had extended gains by midday on Friday despite disappointing retail sales data and a slump in consumer confidence, as worries about China’s Evergrande eased and following the release of encouraging UK growth figures.
The FTSE 100 was 0.5% higher at 7,226.36.
Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: “Overnight news that Chinese property company Evergrande would be making an interest payment due on one of its bonds to avoid defaulting lifted sentiment, which has also fed through to the UK in opening exchanges.
“This in turn has resulted in some small relief for mining shares, which have been under pressure in recent sessions given the large exposure to China.”
Jarvis Investment Management Ltd offers a wide range of stockbroking and administration services and solutions. Their parent company, Jarvis Securities plc (LON:JIM) is listed on AIM.