At noon, the FTSE 100 was up 1.14 per cent at 7,124.5 having dived on Friday as a new Covid variant sent investors running for cover.
The more UK-focussed FTSE 250 was up 1.27 per cent.
Gold has rallied higher as Asian stocks drifted in response to investor concerns about the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 Investment platform.
In other news, Britain’s housing market has celebrated its busiest year since the heady pre-financial crisis days of 2007. Around one in 16 privately owned homes will have changed hands by the end of the year, according to property portal Zoopla.
Investment platform AJ Bell will enter the commission-free trading app market with the launch of its new offering, Dodl.
Meanwhile, Irn-Bru-maker AG Barr has boosted its profit forecast and subprime lender Amigo has seen shares crash on a new rescue plan.
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There are concerns about Omicron’s impact on vaccine effectiveness
