London's FTSE 100 closed 2.15% higher on Wednesday on signs of a potential US-Iran deal to end the war, while expansion across the UK's private sector accelerated.
"Trump announced a temporary pause to 'Project Freedom,' a naval operation in the Strait of Hormuz, indicating a potential de-escalation. Oil prices declined following the announcement and continued to fall overnight, driven by expectations of progress toward a peace deal with Iran, as hinted by Trump. Trump's upcoming visit to China adds further complexity, given Beijing's close ties with Tehran and its economic reliance on oil transit through the strait," Danske Bank said.
Back home, Britain's private sector output growth accelerated in April, indicating a moderate rise in manufacturing production and in services sector activity, data from S&P Global showed. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UK PMI Composite Output Index rose to 52.6 from 50.3 in March. The flash estimate stood at 52.
"[This] improvement could easily prove short-lived as new business intakes remained subdued in comparison to the start of 2026," S&P Global Market Intelligence Economics Director Tim Moore said. "Survey respondents widely noted that the Middle East conflict and subsequent global supply chain disruptions had weighed heavily on business and consumer confidence."
In corporate news, alcoholic beverage company Diageo (DGE.L) climbed 6.34% after affirming its fiscal 2026 guidance and logging a 2.3% yearly increase in net sales for the fiscal third quarter ended March 31 to $4.48 billion.
"While the spirits environment remains challenging, particularly in the US, Diageo's refreshed strategy and increased reinvestment should support a medium-term growth acceleration, we believe," BofA Global Research said. "The US remains a key headwind, with limited visibility on the timing and pace of a recovery, but performance elsewhere in the group is solid. We see further upside from accelerated deleveraging."
On the downside, medical device manufacturer Smith & Nephew (SN.L) dropped 3.58% after launching a $500 million share repurchase program, maintaining its outlook for full-year 2026, and posting growth in first-quarter revenue to $1.50 billion from $1.41 billion.
"We expect investors to be incrementally reassured by the in-line revenue delivery in Q1 and the $500m share buyback programme. However, we do not see these results as materially de-risking 2026 guidance at this stage, and we continue to see potential downside to guidance in future periods," RBC Capital Markets said.