British stocks advanced on Wednesday after the UK economy grew 0.5% in the second quarter, exceeding the 0.4% forecast but slowing from 0.6% in the first quarter. The FTSE 100 gained 0.70% as of 03:18 ET (07:18 GMT), while Germany's DAX rose 0.71% and France's CAC 40 added 0.32%. Sterling rose 0.31% to $1.3271. The Office for National Statistics said net trade provided the main boost, with export volumes rising 2.8%. Services output increased 0.6%, household spending rose 0.3%, and production fell 0.1%. Government borrowing increased to 5.2% of GDP from 4.2%. Germany's economy grew 0.3%, while France's was flat. Miners led London gains, with Rio Tinto up 2.1%, Antofagasta 2.7%, Fresnillo 1.4%, Anglo American 1.8% and Glencore 1%. InterContinental rose 2.3%. Brent crude futures fell 0.88% to $95.31 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate declined 0.69% to $88.75. Gold futures rose 1.14% to $4,227.09 an ounce, and spot gold gained 0.32% to $4,195.15. Geopolitical developments also shaped markets. U.S. President Donald Trump said the war on Iran would end "very soon" and repeated that Tehran would not have a nuclear weapon. Overnight, Trump denied reports that he would ease sanctions on Iran, helping push oil higher. Iran's Revolutionary Guards urged U.S. voters to change the administration before the midterms, while University of Tehran researcher Mohammad Eslami said a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was reducing Iran's oil revenue. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Washington and Israel were seeking to create internal divisions after failing militarily, state agency IRNA reported. UK counterterrorism police found petrol but no explosives in vans near RAF Fairford after arresting five people over a suspected plot; the five were bailed on Monday. The base has been used by U.S. forces to strike Iran. In company news, Saga said underlying pretax profit nearly doubled in H1 2026 and raised its profit and cash-flow outlook. Greggs raised its 2026 outlook after stronger summer sales while proposing four manufacturing-site closures and about 740 job cuts. Pinewood Technologies reported a wider H1 loss as North American investment and acquisition costs offset higher revenue and EBITDA, while maintaining its FY26 outlook. Investing.com also promoted AI-generated stock-pick lists, claiming one was beating the market by 120%, another had risen more than 90% since being selected in July and retained 62% upside, and that the lists were rebuilt at the start of each month. Related headlines cited Future shares tumbling after a share-buyback pause and European equities gaining as technology listings tracked signals from U.S. AI expansion.