<div id="readability-page-1"><div> (RTTNews) - The UK stock market gained in strength on Wednesday, as a sharp drop in oil prices, and hopes of a U.S.-Iran peace deal helped lift sentiment. Stocks from mining and financial sectors posted strong gains. Hopes about a U.S.-Iran deal rose after U.S. President Donald Trump said the two countries were &#34;in negotiations right now&#34; and &#34;want to make a deal so badly.&#34; The U.S. has reportedly proposed a 15-point peace plan to Tehran after a possible one-month ceasefire. Although Tehran has dismissed Trump's claim of talks, several media reports suggest that efforts towards a diplomatic solution have intensified. As hopes of a de-escalation in Middle East tensions rose, oil prices tumbled, with the Brent crude futures falling nearly 6%. The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 135.69 points or 1.36% at 10,100.85 a little before noon. Miners Endeavour Mining, Anglo American Plc and Antofagasta moved up 4.7% and 3.7% and 3.6%, respectively. Fresnillo climbed 3.5% and Rio Tinto gained 18%, while Glencore added 1.5%. Baclays moved up 3.3%, Standard Chartered gained 3.1%, Lloyds Banking Group climbed 2.7%, HSBC Holdings rallied 2.5% and Natwest advanced 1.5%. ICG surged more than 4.5%. Croda International moved up 4.4% and Barratt Redrow gained 3.9%. United Utilities climbed nearly 4%. The water utility issued a pre-close update ahead of its full-year results for the year ending March 31, 2026, indicating that performance remains in line with expectations. Pershing Square Holdings, JD Sports Fashion, GSK, Lion Finance, M&amp;G, Prudential, Smiths Group, Mondi, IMI, Standard Life, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Scottish Mortgage, Weir Group, Land Securities and Halma gained 2.5%-3.4%. IAG and Aviva also moved up sharply. Among the laggards, BT Group shed 1.7%, Experian lost about 1.2% and Shell dropped nearly 1%. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed UK consumer prices registered a stable growth and input prices rebounded in February. Consumer price inflation remained unchanged at 3% in February, as expected. On a monthly basis, consumer prices moved up 0.4%, partially offsetting the January's 0.5% decrease. Monthly inflation matched expectations. Core inflation that excludes prices of energy, food, alcohol and tobacco rose to 3.2% from 3.1% in the prior month. Another report from the ONS showed that input prices climbed 0.5% year-on-year in February, in contrast to the 0.4% fall in January. On a monthly comparison, input prices rose at a faster pace of 0.8%, following a 0.3% in January. Meanwhile, output price inflation eased to 1.7% from 2.5% in January. Month-on-month, output prices slid 0.5% remaining flat in January. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. </div></div>

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The UK stock market saw a 1.4% rise on Wednesday, driven by a significant drop in oil prices and optimism surrounding a potential U.S.-Iran peace deal. The FTSE 100 index increased by 135.69 points to reach 10,100.85. Mining stocks like Endeavour Mining and Anglo American, along with financial stocks such as Barclays and HSBC, were among the top gainers. Meanwhile, consumer price inflation remained stable at 3%, with input prices rebounding. However, BT Group and Experian were among the few laggards, experiencing slight declines.

FTSE 100 Rises 1.4%; Miners, Bank Stocks Among Top Gainers