(MENAFN- ProactiveInvestors) Britain's blue chip index ended the day over 34 points higher as investors were upbeat on the prospect of Eurozone stimulus measures.
FTSE100 closed out the afternoon session at practically the same level as lunch - at 6620 up 0.57% with banks and miners in support.
Also adding to the positives was news of an expansion in Chinese GDP in 2014.
The biggest FTSE100 gainer was ().
Meanwhile on Wall Street the benchmark Dow Jones lost 113 points or 0.64% to 17399 as the oil price slide weighed on equities.
Stock markets in Europe have been buoyed at the prospect of the ECB launching a QE programme to stimulate the region's ailing economy. If it happens it would be a first for the Eurozone.
"The London market has pushed through the 6600 mark as pace gathers behind quantitative easing speculation from the European Central Bank on Thursday.
"We are two days away from Mario Draghi’s announcement and traders’ excitement can hardly be contained" said David Madden at IG Index.
The optimism appeared to outweigh more negative offerings - namely that the IMF forecasts for 2015 and 2016 have been cut by 0.3% to 3.5% and 3.7% respectively.
The miners were buoyed after Chinese GDP figures came in better than analysts had expected. () the silver giant added 4% while trader Glencore () was also up 3.94%. Big banks RBS added 3.12%.
The oil price continued its now familiar slide - with Brent crude falling beneath US$49 whilst West Texas Intermediary crude was also lower at US$47.60 a barrel.
In small cap world () shares added nearly 6% as it told investors it had sold a record amount of the yellow metal in its latest quarter while production in 2014 was also ahead of expectations.
The Tanzania-based miner sold 24700 ounces in the three months to December at US$1253 higher than the spot price due to the miner’s forward hedging.
Total gold sales over the whole of 2014 were 87758 ounces at an average price of $1289 per ounce. The miner had 31500 ounces hedged at the year end at a price of $1240 per ounce.
Other notable movers were Petro Matad () up over 31% and () which added 16.67%.
() added over 2% as it said it was to press ahead with the development of the Namib lead-zinc mine with a newly enhanced management team.
The company which completed a definitive feasibility for Namib in November today told investors managing director Martin French is stepping down and will be replaced by James Beams.
() nudged up a tad as it dusted off plans for a second zinc re-cycling plant as the performance of its first has steadily improved.
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