UK stocks advanced within a few points of a record amid a rise in oil companies.
The FTSE 100 gained 0.3% to 6,909.13 at 10:21 a.m. in London. The record is 6,930.2. The benchmark gauge has climbed 0.6% this week, its third consecutive weekly gain, sending it to a 15-year high on February 17. The broader FTSE All-Share Index added 0.2 percent, while Ireland’s ISEQ Index fell 0.2%.
Tullow Oil Plc rallied 3.1 percent as oil and gas shares climbed. Standard Life Plc increased 3.4 percent after reporting a 19% increase in full-year profit. Weir Group Plc gained 2.5% after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. recommended buying the shares.
Kingfisher Plc dropped 2.5% after Barclays Plc lowered its rating on the home-improvement retailer to the equivalent of a sell. Hammerson Plc fell 1.8% after being lowered to the equivalent of a hold by HSBC Holdings Plc.
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