3 March 2021 | 08:42am
StockMarketWire.com - UK stocks opened more than 1% higher on Wednesday as progress on Covid vaccines and US stimulus continued to fuel hopes the global economy was on the mend.
At 0825, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 70.78 points, or 1.1%, at 6,684.62.
Insurance company Hiscox tumbled 13% to 856.79p after it swung to a $268.5 million annual pre-tax loss, driven by event cancellation and business interruption claims owing to the pandemic.
Hiscox said it decided not to declare a final dividend, but would consider resuming payments in 2021 when it published interim results.
House builder Persimmon rose 0.3% to £27.17, even as it reported a 25% fall in annual profit and slashed its dividend to 110p per share, after construction markets were battered by the pandemic.