London close: Stocks surge on improving global outlook

- FTSE 100 at highest levels since last summer- Markets await FOMC, words from Bernanke- Draghi sees signs of 'stabilisation'The Footsie finished at an eight-month high on Tuesday, up a whole percentage point on the day, as financial stocks made gains on the back of an improving global economic outlook. Just a dozen or so stocks finished in the red on the FTSE 100.Investors are awaiting the outcome of the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in the US, at which policy makers are expected to keep key interest rates unchanged. "The safest action for the time being may be to just stand pat, and this is justified by reference to the fact that inflation expectations are still very low and appear to still be 'well-anchored'," point out the analysts from Cumberland Advisors. London's benchmark index held on to gains in mid-afternoon trade after US retail sales data matched expectations. Retail sales increased by 1.1% in February, accelerating from the 0.6% rise the month before.Earlier in the day, stocks surged after the German economic expectations index compiled by ZEW rose in March to its highest level since June 2010. The index rose to 22.3 from 5.4 in February compared to the consensus estimate of 10. "Currently, it seems as if the crisis in the Eurozone has taken a pause for breath. In Germany, due to the good employment situation, domestic demand is likely to continue to stimulate growth," said ZEW president Wolfgang Franz. Meanwhile, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi has indicated at a conference in Paris that there are "continued signs of stabilisation" in the Eurozone. Draghi said that inflation risks are not materialising, suggesting that interest rates will remain low in order to boost growth. In other news, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has accepted the Eurogroup's demand to push through additional fiscal tightening this year worth 0.5 percentage points of gross domestic product, roughly another €5bn. INSURERS, BANKS, MINERS PROVIDE A BOOSTInsurance group Prudential jumped nearly 5% after meeting forecasts with a 7% rise in operating profit, driven by a 32% rise in earnings from the Asian life assurance business. The full-year dividend was raised by 5.6% Sector peer Standard Life rose a lesser 0.4% after its own results came in ahead of expectations. The stock may have been held back by a downgrade from Panmure Gordon.Vedanta Resources was a high riser, up 4.5%, adding to its winning streak in the year-to-date - the stock has gained around 50% in 2012 so far. Sector peers Rio Tinto and Kazakhmys were also rising higher. Bucking the trend was Antofagasta which was the heaviest faller on the FTSE 100 after its full-year results. Antofagasta boasted of another year of record revenues, profits and output in 2011 but the market was largely unimpressed by the figures from the Chilean copper miner which parted company earlier this month with its Chief Executive Officer. Security group G4S also fell after unadjusted profits slipped in 2011. Profit before tax tumbled to £279m from £335m. Turnover rose 4.7% but missed forecasts. Banks were performing well, as risk appetite increases on the back of an improved outlook for the Eurozone. HSBC, Lloyds and Standard Chartered closed up nearly 3% each, while Royal Bank of Scotland rose 1.5%. Unite, the trade union for bank workers, has criticised new plans that will see Lloyds and RBS slash a total of 1,764 jobs across the UK. FTSE 250: INCHCAPE JUMPS DESPITE FALLING SALESCar retailer and distributor Inchcape saw sales in 2011 hit by weak markets in the UK and Greece, but managed to raise its operating margin through tight cost control. Nomura said that the results were broadly in line with expectations. Shares jumped nearly 11%. House builders were being given a lift by the government's NewBuy scheme aimed at getting more first-time buyers on to the property ladder. Credit Suisse said today that it expects an average EPS growth of around 40% for the sector over the next two years. As such, Bellway, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Bovis Homes and Barratt Developments were all making decent gains. Spread-betting firm IG Group fell after experiencing a significant slowdown in sales growth during the third quarter, after the previous market volatility that had helped sales in the first half was alleviated. Satellite group Inmarsat was a heavy faller after Citi downgraded the stock from neutral to sell. BCFTSE 100 - RisersPrudential (PRU) 763.00p +4.81%Vedanta Resources (VED) 1,430.00p +4.46%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) 170.40p +4.41%Legal & General Group (LGEN) 125.30p +3.38%InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 1,497.00p +3.38%Kazakhmys (KAZ) 986.00p +3.19%HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 572.40p +2.93%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 34.61p +2.79%Carnival (CCL) 2,000.00p +2.72%Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,605.00p +2.65%FTSE 100 - FallersAntofagasta (ANTO) 1,241.00p -2.28%G4S (GFS) 283.50p -2.07%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 7,110.00p -0.77%Shire Plc (SHP) 2,230.00p -0.62%Ashmore Group (ASHM) 380.70p -0.29%ITV (ITV) 86.75p -0.29%ICAP (IAP) 394.00p -0.23%Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,691.00p -0.12%Diageo (DGE) 1,552.00p -0.06%Unilever (ULVR) 2,106.00p -0.05%FTSE 250 - RisersInchcape (INCH) 418.20p +10.96%Exillon Energy (EXI) 220.20p +7.94%Computacenter (CCC) 441.20p +7.61%Carpetright (CPR) 649.50p +7.27%3i Group (III) 210.00p +6.92%Renishaw (RSW) 1,464.00p +6.32%Mitie Group (MTO) 285.00p +6.18%Grainger (GRI) 116.00p +5.94%Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) 276.00p +5.46%Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 755.00p +5.37%FTSE 250 - FallersIG Group Holdings (IGG) 453.20p -2.83%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 50.50p -2.42%Inmarsat (ISAT) 469.40p -1.78%Northgate (NTG) 240.80p -1.71%Interserve (IRV) 293.00p -1.68%Cobham (COB) 217.70p -1.31%Bumi (BUMI) 776.00p -1.02%Petropavlovsk (POG) 666.50p -0.82%Centamin (DI) (CEY) 84.35p -0.76%Devro (DVO) 330.00p -0.66%