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April 21 (Reuters) - UK’s main stock indexes posted modest gains on Tuesday, led by advances in financials, as hopes of possible ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran bolstered investor confidence.
The U.S. voiced confidence that peace talks with Iran in Pakistan would proceed, while Tehran said it was considering joining, though uncertainty remained as the ceasefire nears its end.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) rose 0.1% to 10,628.63 points by 1020 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) gained 0.9%.
<ul>
<li>Heavyweight bank HSBC (HSBA.L) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L) rose 1% and 1.2%, respectively, leading to a 0.6% gain in the broader banks index (.FTNMX301010) .</li>
<li>Britain’s labour market cooled only marginally in the three months to February, with pay growth easing less than expected and unemployment falling largely due to students leaving the workforce.</li>
<li>British Land Company (BLND.L) rose 2.4% after the real estate group raised annual earnings forecast on higher demand from AI and tech companies.</li>
<li>The benchmark FTSE 100 is up 4.4% so far this month, underperforming its European peers. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) and German’s DAX (.GDAXI) are up 7.8% and 8.3%, respectively.</li>
<li>E-commerce group THG (THG.L) jumped 7.3% after reporting strongest first-quarter revenue since 2021.</li>
<li>Miner Rio Tinto posted higher first-quarter iron ore sales, but flagged supply-chain risks in the second half, owing to the Middle East war. Its shares gained 0.4%.</li>
<li>Precious metal miners Fresnillo (FRES.L) and Hochschild (HOCM.L) fell 0.7% and 1.3%, respectively, tracking a decline in gold and silver prices.</li>
<li>Associated British Foods (ABF.L) said it would split fashion chain Primark from its foods business. Its shares fell 3.1%.</li>
<li>Power generator SSE (SSE.L) rose a further 4.2% after plunging more than 10% last week following Finance Minster Rachel Reeves’s plans to weaken the link between cost of electricity and gas prices. The utilities sector (.FTUB6510) was up 1.4%.</li>
</ul>

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HSBA

- UK's main stock indexes experienced modest gains, driven by financial sector advances amid hopes for U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks.  
- The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.1% to 10,628.63 points, while the midcap FTSE 250 gained 0.9%, with notable contributions from banks and real estate sectors.  
- The benchmark FTSE 100 is up 4.4% this month, yet lags behind European indexes like the STOXX 600 and DAX, which rose 7.8% and 8.3% respectively.

UK stocks edge higher on hopes of US-Iran talks