LONDON: London-listed shares rose for the first time in four sessions on Wednesday as a surge in house prices to record highs powered stocks of homebuilders, with Barratt jumping to the top of the FTSE 100.

The blue-chip index and the mid-cap FTSE 250 climbed 1.3% and 0.5%, respectively, with homebuilders marking their best day in nearly two months as data showed house prices jumped 2% in August, the biggest month-on-month increase since 2004.

Britain's top homebuilder, Barratt Developments Plc jumped 8.6% as it forecast better advance sales and more home completions over the coming year, although it scrapped plans for a special dividend payout after annual profit slumped.

he FTSE 100 has bounced since a coronavirus-driven crash in March, but is still about 22% below its January highs, lagging US and European peers, which have been propelled by a raft of global stimulus.

Media stocks, beverage companies and personal goods makers were among the biggest gainers

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 1.5% after four sessions of declines on Wednesday on signs of a recovery in global manufacturing activity.-Reuters