BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks eked out modest gains on Tuesday as strong U.S. manufacturing data helped lift mining and energy stocks.
Also, British manufacturers reported their first overall growth in activity in 20 months in March on the back of recovering demand in their home market.
The S&P Global/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 50.3, up from a preliminary March reading of 49.9 and February's 47.5.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 24 points or 0.3 percent at 7,976 as traders returned to their desks after a long holiday weekend.
Miners Anglo American, Antofagasta and Glencore climbed 1-3 percent.
BP Plc rallied 2.5 percent and peer Shell added 2.9 percent as U.S. crude futures hit $85 a barrel in New York for the first time since October amid growing geopolitical risks and signs of improving demand in the U.S. and China.
Housebuilder Persimmon fell over 2 percent, Taylor Wimpey lost 1.8 percent and Barratt Developments declined 1.4 percent after data showed U.K. house prices declined unexpectedly in March as a result of higher interest rates.
The Nationwide Building Society's house price index posted a monthly fall of 0.2 percent in March, in contrast to the 0.7 percent rise in February and confounding the forecast of 0.3 percent gain.
Origin Enterprises rose about 1 percent as the international agri-services group announced the appointment of Colm Purcell as chief financial officer (CFO).
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