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* FTSE 250 ends at fresh record highs
* Johnson Matthey jumps on strategic review of its health
unit
* Lookers surge after upbeat 2021 profit forecast
* FTSE 100 up 0.8%, FTSE 250 adds 0.4%
(Updates to close)
By Devik Jain and Shashank Nayar
April 8 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 ended higher on
Thursday as heavyweight mining stocks tracked rising metal
prices, while the mid-cap index scaled record highs as investors
bet on a faster economic recovery.
The blue-chip index ended up 0.8%, with Anglo
American one of the biggest boosts to the index, gaining
3.2% on plans to spin off its thermal coal assets in South
Africa.
The domestically focussed mid-cap FTSE 250 index
closed 0.4% higher, as faster vaccinations and lower coronavirus
cases boosted confidence in a faster economic rebound.
The swift rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in England resulted
in a steep drop in infection rates in March, a closely watched
survey showed.
"The strong performance of the FTSE 250 should be a
tailwind for active managers as a whole, as a result of their
additional exposure to this area," said Laith Khalaf, financial
analyst at AJ Bell.
"They (midcaps) are small enough that they still have room
to grow, but large enough that they are established businesses
with existing customer bases."
Globally, investor sentiment was upbeat after the U.S.
Federal Reserve underlined its commitment to keeping policy
super loose even during a rapid economic recovery.
FTSE 100 is set to record its biggest weekly gain since
early January and is up 7.5% so far this year on speedy vaccine
rollouts, dovish central bank policies and economic optimism.
British companies sharply stepped up hiring and offered
higher pay to new staff last month as they grew more confident
about an economic recovery and prepared for COVID-19
restrictions to ease, a recruiters body said on Thursday.
Among other stocks, Johnson Matthey gained 1.5% as
the company began a strategic review of its health business,
while Lookers jumped 14.8% after the auto retailer
forecast 2021 underlying profit before tax to be materially
ahead of analysts' estimates.
(Reporting by Devik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak
Dasgupta, Shailesh Kuber and David Gregorio)
