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The FTSE 100 closed Tuesday up 0.4% to 7,172.48, in touching distance of the new pandemic highs reached earlier in the session.
In the US the S&P 500 retreated from the record high set on Monday, down 0.3% to 4,244.70 by 4.30pm UK time.
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said results from its trial assessing its antibody drug AZD7442, didn't meet the primary goal of preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in people recently exposed to the Covid-19 virus. AstraZeneca was down 0.1% to £83.36.
Equipment rental company Ashtead lifted its dividend after reporting a 1% fall in annual profit as a return to revenue growth in the final quarter of the fiscal year, helped soften the pandemic impact. Ashtead gained 0.6% to £51.14.
Homebuilder Bellway reported 'strong' sales demand and said it expected selling price to continue to rise. For the period from 1 February to 6 June 2021, reservations per week increased 51.3% to 239 from 158 last year. Bellway was flat at £34.79.
Online fashion retail Boohoo reported a jump in revenue in the first quarter of the year, led by strong UK and US growth. Boohoo rose 0.2% to 329.1p.
Digital transformation company Kin and Carta lifted its outlook on annual performance following a strong return to growth amid accelerating demand for digital transformation. Kin and Carta jumped 22.2% to 242p.