The FTSE 100 opened higher Tuesday, tracking strength overnight on Wall Street, as Legal & General (L&G) beat profit forecasts and lifted its final dividend payout by a third.
Shortly after opening, the index advanced more than 20 points, or 0.36%, to reach 5,664.
L&G increased more than 5% to 85.6p after announcing 2009 operating profit rose 51% on the year to £1.3bn, outstripping the £1.1bn pencilled in by analysts.
It is also paying a total dividend of 3.84p per share, ahead of forecasts of 3.67p.
Elsewhere, Prudential added 1.52% to 534.5p and Aviva rose 1.13% to 403.8p.
Retailers were the biggest fallers: Kingfisher dropped 1.72% to 229p while Home Retail Group dipped 1.35% to 278.1p.
Overnight in New York, the Dow Jones advanced more than 43 points, or 0.41%, to 10,785, boosted by healthcare stocks following Barack Obama's historic Congress victory.
Pfizer added 1.42% to $17.15, while Merck & Co increased 0.63% to $38.30.
In Asia, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined as real estate companies dropped for a third day. The falls follow a report last week Japanese land prices had fallen for a second straight year in 2009.
The index closed more than 50 points, or 0.47%, down at 10,774.
