UK stocks : FTSE 100 index closes 0.7 pct higher

The FTSE 100 broke through a near two-year high at 6,105.77 in afternoon trade, following a strong opening on Wall Street, peaking at 6,112.27, before settling to close up 45.02 points, or 0.7 percent, at 6,098.65 Miners rose 0.8 percent, posting their first gains in a week, as investors welcomed news that Alcoa, the largest aluminium producer in the United States, saw improved revenues in the fourth quarter and offered a positive outlook for 2013 after the Wall Street close on Tuesday.

"The FTSE's got stronger as the day's gone on, and volume is better than it has been in the last week or so. The U.S. has been able to react to those Alcoa numbers fully, which has helped us out here," Will Hedden, sales trader at IG Index, said.

Banks added over 20 points to the index, with Lloyds Banking Group the best performer, up 4.9 percent as traders cited the impact of a UBS upgrade to "buy" from "neutral" with an increased target price of 60 pence.

"We think Lloyds will deliver rising margins, falling costs and falling provisions, which will provide a very strong upswing to profitability and EPS momentum over the next few years," UBS said in a note.

Before the Bank of England's monetary policy meeting tomorrow, traders cited rumours that the

... contd.