By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K. stocks posted solid gains at the
open on Monday as geopolitical concerns eased over the weekend
after Ukrainian and Russian officials met in Berlin to discuss a
solution to the crisis.
The FTSE 100 index climbed 0.8% to 6,739.06, after jumping 1.9%
last week.
The benchmark nudged a 0.1% gain on Friday, although reports of
a confrontation between Russia and Ukraine shaved off most of
earlier gains in the afternoon. Over the weekend, Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Pavlo Klimkin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov
met to discuss ways to ease the tensions. German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after the meeting that some progress
had been made, according to Bloomberg.
Mining firms posted some of the biggest gains on Monday, with
shares of Anglo American PLC up 2.1% and BHP Billiton PLC (BHP)
(BHP) rising 1.4%.
Housebuilders, however, declined after Bank of England Governor
Mark Carney hinted over the weekend that the central bank could
raise interest rates before wages improve.
Shares of Barratt Developments PLC fell 0.3%, and Taylor Wimpey
PLC gave up 0.6%.
The pound (GBPUSD) climbed after the comments from Carney,
trading at $1.6736, up 0.3%, according to FactSet.
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