Another relaxation of lockdown rules in some parts of the UK delivered a boost to the FTSE 100 today.
London’s blue-chip market rose 75.50 points, or 1.21%, to 6,320.12 after Prime Minister Boris Johnson did away with the two-metre social distancing rule south of the Scotland-England border, cutting it to one metre.
It was the news many businesses had hoped for as it allows them to get more people through their doors after they reopen.
The move will benefit firms like The Restaurant Group – owner of Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito and Wagamama – whose shares were up nearly 3% at 68.65p.
Pub-restaurant and hotel operator Whitbread rose nearly 1% to £23.73, while rival Marston’s was 4% higher at 68.20p following considerable industry pressure to have the social distancing measure relaxed. Revolution Bars surged nearly 10% to 29p.
Sentiment in other leading global financial markets was also positive. The French Cac 40 and German Dax indices rose 1.39% and 2.13% respectively, while in the US the Dow Jones was 0.9% higher as trading in London closed.
Benchmark Brent crude oil was down nearly 1% at $42.74 per barrel, as of 6.45pm.