India, April 8 -- The London Stock Exchange kicked off April 8, 2026 with fireworks and the FTSE 100 blasted open 248 points higher, hitting 10,596 in minutes, now steady at 10,613.30 with a crisp 2.56% gain. Miners and airlines stole the show, shrugging off oil jitters from Trump's latest Iran speech. This rally signals investor bets on metals over energy amid global shifts. Broader indices like FTSE 250 (up 2.23%) and FTSE 350 (up 2.69%) joined the party, blending UK blue chips with mid-caps. Here's the deep dive.

UK Market Snapshot

Note: April 8, 2026, open session. FTSE 100's 52-week range with 7,599.56 low to 10,934.94 high.

FTSE 100 Index (UKX)

The Footsie, tracking London's top 100 giants, opened at 10,669.81 after closing at 1...