London stocks jump after worst day in more than three decades

London stocks rebounded on Friday from their worst day in more than three decades as a recovery in oil prices and fresh moves by policymakers to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak lifted sentiment.

The commodity-heavy index rose 3%, while the domestically focussed FTSE mid-cap index was up 1.4% on the back of a 10% jump for miners, and oil and gas companies. BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc rose between 6% and 7%, tracking higher oil prices.

Miners Rio Tinto, BHP group and Anglo American jumped more than 11% and were the biggest gainers on the main index. Central banks from the United States to Australia pumped liquidity into their financial systems and hopes of a U.S. stimulus package helped the mood on Friday even as the virus outbreak infected almost 135,000 and killed more than 4,900 worldwide.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)