Last checked at 
(There will be no London stock market report on Friday and
Monday on account of Easter holidays. Reuters will resume
coverage on Tuesday, April 6)
* Industrials stocks biggest gainers on FTSE 100
* Quilter rises on sale of int'l business to Utmost Group
* FTSE 100 up 0.4%, FTSE 250 adds 1%
(Updates to close)
By Shivani Kumaresan and Amal S
April 1 (Reuters) - British shares ended higher on Thursday
ahead of a long weekend, as hopes of a swifter economic rebound
this year boosted sentiment, while Quilter rose after agreeing
to sell its international business to Utmost Group.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index ended 0.4% higher, with
industrials and consumer discretionary stocks, mainly Ferguson
PLC, Melrose Industries PLC, International
Consolidated Airlines Group, Compass Group plc
being the biggest gainers.
Bank stocks, including Prudential Financial Inc,
Barclays Plc, Lloyds Banking Group, were also
among the biggest boosts on the index.
"It seems investors are very much of the mind that it is
still worth backing companies that will benefit from the
reopening of the global economy, despite the negative backdrop
of France closing schools in its third lockdown and Brazil still
struggling to get Covid under control," said Russ Mould,
investment director at AJ Bell.
Global equities gained following their slowest quarter in a
year, on hopes of a stronger U.S. economy, as investors parsed
details of a $2 trillion government spending plan and hoped for
strong jobs data later in the week.
The FTSE 100 has risen 4.3% so far this year, supported by
speedy vaccine rollouts and a raft of economic stimulus. But a
recent spike in virus cases across Europe has made investors
cautious.
Meanwhile, defensive plays including consumer staples, and
healthcare were the biggest drags on the index.
Quilter rose 4.3%, after it agreed to sell its
international business to specialist life assurance company
Utmost Group for 483 million pounds ($664.37 million), as it
sharpens its focus on its UK wealth management unit.
The domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index
climbed 1%, led by industrials and consumer discretionary
stocks.
Fashion retailer Next rose 3.2%, even after it
reported a halving in annual pretax profit after lockdowns
closed its stores but raised its forecast for a big rebound this
year.
(Reporting by Shivani Kumaresan and Amal S in Bengaluru;
Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Mark Heinrich)
