Syria breakthrough hopes buoy global markets The FTSE 100 climbed 51.30 points, or 0.8pc, to 6,582, while the Cac 40 in France gained 1.2pc and Germany's Dax rose 1.4pc. European markets followed the US and Asia higher overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing up 140.62 at 15,063.12, a rise of 0.9pc, and the Nikkei 225 in Japan advancing 1.5pc to 14,423.36. Nervousness about the potential for widespread disruption to the oil supply from the Middle East also eased, and Brent crude fell 0.9pc to $112.72 a barrel. Gold, viewed as a safe-haven by investors, lost some of its lustre and declined 0.6pc to $1,377.14 an ounce. Investors were responding to moves from Russia, an ally of Syria that has offered to assist Bashar al-Assad's regime in destroying its arsenal of chemical weapons. President Obama, who is seeking authorisation from Congress for a strike on the Syrian regime in retaliation for the alleged use of poison gas on civilians, said he is prepared to call off an attack if the weapons stockpiles are relinquished. "Risk sentiment kicked up overnight on a number of developments across the globe, propelling equities this Tuesday morning," said Ishaq Siddiqi, a market strategist at ETX Capital. US stocks finished higher Monday - fears over a strike by the US on Syria receded a fair bit in the past 24 hours. The spectre of an attack on the Syrian regime has roiled markets in recent weeks, sending stocks lower and oil prices higher on concern a strike could ratchet up tensions across the region.