The FTSE 100 index rose 2% on Wednesday, with heavily sold Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest among blue-chip companies rebounding by 5% or more.
Precious metals miner Polymetal was the top performer after saying there had been no disruption to its operations in Russia despite sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
The FTSE 250 surged 3.4%, having touched bear territory this week after falling 20% from its September high. Airline constituents EasyJet and Wizz jumped 10%, while Cineworld shares rose 8%.
The rally spread across Europe, with Germany’s Dax index surging 6.9% in its biggest jump since March 2020. The French Cac 40 was also up more than 6%.