Centrica : UK mid-cap stocks hit all-time high after election result

LONDON (Reuters) - UK equity markets rose sharply in early trade on Friday, with the FTSE 250 mid-cap index hitting a record high, after a surprisingly strong election showing for Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives.

Real estate, utilities and banks were among the best-performing UK sectors at 0711 GMT, with utility Centrica (>> Centrica PLC) up 7.5 percent, housebuilder Persimmon (>> Persimmon plc) up 7.3 percent and Lloyds Banking Group (>> Lloyds Banking Group PLC) up 6.5 percent.

"The surprisingly decisive result reduces uncertainty over the next government," Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a note.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Lionel Laurent)

Stocks treated in this article : Lloyds Banking Group PLC, SSE PLC, Persimmon plc, Capita PLC, Centrica PLC, Ladbrokes PLC, William Hill plc