Stock Market

Britains leading share index rose 0.8 percent on Wednesday to extend the previous sessions sharp rise, led by HSBC and Vodafone but oil producers tracked weaker crude prices. The FTSE 100 closed 29.47 points higher at 3,955.61, after rallying 4.3 percent on Tuesday. The UK benchmark is down more than 12 percent this year after recording its worst first quarter since its launch in 1984.