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The FTSE 100 climbed 0.9 per cent and the mid-cap FTSE 250 added 1.2 per cent
Global stocks headed higher on Monday as more countries look to restarting their economies, although some reported an increase in new coronavirus cases.
European markets headed north, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures and FTSE futures up about 1 per cent. E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 opened lower but bounced as the Asia day wore on and was last up 0.5 per cent.
Further loosening of coronavirus restrictions in Asia encouraged investors with New Zealand easing some curbs from Thursday while Japan plans to end a state of emergency for areas where infections have stabilised.
In Europe, millions of French people are also set to cautiously emerge from one of that region’s strictest lockdowns.
That comes even as South Korea warned of a second wave of the new coronavirus as infections rebounded to a one-month high, while new infections increased in Germany.
London-listed stocks rose as Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined plans to gradually ease some coronavirus-induced lockdown measures.
The FTSE 100 climbed 0.9 per cent and the mid-cap FTSE 250 added 1.2 per cent, as traders returning from a long weekend also caught up with strong gains in Europe on Friday, driven by an easing in US-China tensions.
Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.5 per cent to 20,485.00 points in afternoon trade. Earlier in the session, the index rose as much as 1.8 per cent to hit its highest since March 6.
Chinese blue chips rose 0.1 per cent. Chinese inflation and production data due this week will be closely watched to see how the pandemic has hit demand in the world’s second-largest economy.
The dollar was a shade firmer on the yen at 106.94 on Monday but within the 105.97 to 109.37 band that has lasted since late March. The euro was a fraction softer at $1.0848 but above last week’s low at $1.0765.
In commodity markets, gold went up 0.32 per cent to $1,706 an ounce.
Oil prices opened about 1 per cent lower. Brent crude futures lost 22 cents to $30.75 a barrel, while US crude fell 15 cents to $24.59.
