* FTSE gains 0.9 percent, Fed statement due 1915 GMT
* Obama speech boosts sentiment
* Aggreko rises, Goldman Sachs starts coverage with "buy"
By David Brett
LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index rebounded on Wednesday on hopes for stronger global growth after an upbeat speech overnight by U.S. President Barack Obama and positive U.S. housing data.
The FTSE 100 closed up 51.50 points, or 0.9 percent, at 5,969.21, after falling 0.4 percent on Tuesday following news Britain's economy shrank 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter of last year.
U.S. stocks were also higher by the close on the back of Obama's plans to lower corporate taxes and ahead of the latest Federal Reserve rate-setting policy meeting.
"Concerns about growth prospects after yesterday's rise in interest rates in India and the shock fall in UK GDP had seen some risk aversion, but this appears to have subsided for now," Michael Hewson, market analyst at CMC Markets, said.
Miners and energy companies were the standout performers on London's blue-chip index, climbing on the back of the previous session's weakness along with metal and crude prices.
Chilean copper producer Antofagasta rose 3.3 percent.
Oil major BG Group added 3.4 percent, helped by its partner -- Brazil's state-run oil giant Petrobras -- announcing an oil find in the Santos basin.
BP fell 1.1 percent, with traders citing rating downgrades from Societe Generale and Collins Stewart.
"Capable crisis management reflected in recent strong outperformance -- which we use to downgrade to 'hold' on valuation grounds," SocGen said in a note.
OPTIMISM
Sentiment on the whole was boosted by favourable comments from President Obama, who proposed cutting corporate tax rates in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
The focus as London's market closed again turned across the Atlantic where Fed policymakers will wrap up a two-day meeting and outline their views of the economy and monetary policy in a statement expected at 1915 GMT.
The committee is expected to reaffirm a plan to buy $600 billion in government debt, while noting growing reasons for economic optimism.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported sales of new single-family homes rose 17.5 percent in December.
"With the Federal Reserve unlikely to move away from its current easing policy at today's meeting, markets are pushing towards the upper end of recent ranges," CMC's Hewson said.
In the UK, mobile phone heavyweight Vodafone gained 0.6 percent after results from its U.S. wireless joint venture with Verizon Communications.
Vodafone was also helped by news Vivendi completed the sale of its stake in NBC Universal, clearing the way for the French group to begin talks over acquiring Vodafone's 44 percent stake in French telecoms operator SFR.
Temporary power provider Aggreko was up 5.3 percent, after Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on the company with a "buy" rating, saying it has "powerful potential".
On the second line, Renishaw jumped 19.7 percent after the British engineer reported a five-fold rise in first-half pretax profit.
Among the few blue-chip fallers were Compass Group and Scottish & Southern Energy, both going ex-dividend. (Wrtitng by Simon Jessop; Editing by David Hulmes