FTSE jumps on SABMiller surge

The FTSE 100 closed up 1.49% to 6,229.21 on Wednesday, after brewing giant SABMiller confirmed that rival drinks giant Anheuser Busch InBev is planning to buy the company to create the world's biggest brewing firm.

SABMiller's shares exploded upwards around 20% on the news, taking the FTSE higher on the day.

European markets were also in positive territory. Germany's Dax rose 0.53% while France's CAC40 was up 1.82%. The Euro Stoxx 50, an index of the region's biggest companies, was up 1.42% at the time of writing.

Here's what it looks like on Wednesday:

And here is the SABMiller chart, which goes to show the power of M&A information: