Jan 6 (Reuters) - The UK's FTSE 100 climbed to a record high on Tuesday, holding steady above the 10,000-point mark, with oil and defence stocks extending gains after U.S. strikes on Venezuela over
FTSE 100 Reaches New Heights with Healthcare Stock Surge
Jan 6 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 closed at a record high on Tuesday, as heavyweight healthcare stocks led a broad-based rally after Britain's AstraZeneca announced a strategic collaboration.
The internationally-focused FTSE 100 rose 1.4% to 10,112.73 points, also lifted by a weaker pound that increases export revenue for exporters. The domestically focused mid-cap index <.FTMC> gained 0.9% and hit its highest in nearly four years.
Healthcare-related stocks were the strongest performing sector on the UK index, and also led Europe's STOXX 600 index higher [.EU].
AstraZeneca gained 5% after the British company announced a strategic collaboration with Bostongene to advance foundation model-driven oncology development. Oxford Biomedica and GSK were up around 4% each.
Precious-metal miners were among the top performers, tracking higher gold and silver prices against the backdrop of geopolitical tension between Venezuela and the United States.
UK stocks have started the year on a strong note, with the blue-chip FTSE topping 10,000 points for the first time last week as investors also priced in Bank of England rate cuts later this year. Tuesday's record high was the fourth in five sessions.
Fashion retailer Next was up 4.9% after reporting a better-than-expected increase in full-price sales for the nine weeks to December 27 and increasing its annual profit outlook for the fifth time over the last year.
Online supermarket group Ocado gained 11.6% after Market researcher Worldpanel by Numerator said it had recorded the highest sales growth among UK supermarkets in the Christmas quarter.
Meanwhile, a Deloitte survey showed British company executives have grown slightly more optimistic after Finance Minister Rachel Reeves' budget, with CFOs more willing to raise investment despite overall sentiment remaining muted.
(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore, Kirsten Donovan)
