April 14 (Reuters) - UK's main stock indexes closed higher on Tuesday, lifted by industrials and financials, as hopes of U.S.-Iran peace talks boosted sentiment.
Global equities gained after a report that the United States and Iran could return to Islamabad this week for talks brought relief for investors.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund cut Britain's economic forecast the most among G7 countries, citing the inflationary impact of the war in the Middle East.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index gained 0.25% to 10,609.06 points at close, snapping a three-day losing streak, while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 2%.
* Oil giants BP and Shell slipped 2.4% and 2.8%,respectively, as crude prices hovered around $95 a barrel. * BP said on Tuesday it will reorganise into two mainunits under new CEO Meg O'Neill, and also flagged "exceptional"trading results amid oil price volatility. * Heavyweight banks gained 1.6% as NatWest Group andStandard Chartered climbed 2.5% each, and Barclays added 1.8%. * HSBC's head of banking in Europe and Americas GerryKeefe resigned, the lender said on Tuesday. * Precious metal miners rose 3.4%, tracking gold and silverprices. * Fresnillo and Hochschild Mining were up 4.7% and 4%,respectively. * Among industrials, Intertek soared 12.8% to a one-yearhigh after the product testing and certifications group said itis considering splitting its business. * Travel and leisure stocks gained 2.9% as oil pricesslipped; cruise operator Carnival climbed 5%. * EasyJet and Wizz Air rose 5.1% and 8.5%, respectively. * Luxury group Burberry gained 2.9%, sending personal goodssector up 3.1%. * Imperial Brands slumped 4.8%, its lowest since July 2025,after the Davidoff cigarettes maker flagged uncertainty for theyear due to the Middle East conflict.(Reporting by Utkarsh Hathi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed and Vijay Kishore)
