The bullish mood continued on London’s blue chip index today amid hopes US politicians would reach a deal on the government’s debt limit.
The FTSE 100 Index climbed 26.6 points to close at 6,181, hitting its highest level since May 2008.
Some heavyweight stocks were on the front foot, with pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline ahead 2% or 29p to £14.05 and insurer Aviva 8.7p stronger at 374.9p.
Others fell back however, including fashion house Burberry, which slipped 19p to £13.67, and global drinks giant Diageo with a decline of 23.5p to 1,819.5p.
The biggest riser in the top flight was car insurer Admiral after Goldman Sachs upgraded its target price for the stock and said there was the potential for claims inflation to decline faster than the market currently expected. Shares were 57p higher at £12.11, a rise of 5%.
Royal Bank of Scotland shares were 8.1p stronger at 366.9p as investors digested a report that its investment banking arm will be broken up into two parts, a markets business and an international banking arm. In contrast, Lloyds Banking Group was down 0.2p to 53.2p.
The biggest FTSE 100 risers included Aviva ahead 8.7p to 374.9p and Weir Group 44p higher at £19.50.
The biggest FTSE 100 fallers were Pearson down 36p to £12.02, Meggitt off 7.8p to 429.4p and Kingfisher 4p lower at 268.9p.
Steven McKay, of investment manager and financial planning specialist Brewin Dolphin in Aberdeen, noted that Faroe Petroleum added 3.73% to 138.625p, while Parkmead was 1.67% stronger at 15.125p.
Among the fallers, Bridge Energy closed 1.42% lower at 104.5p, Aggreko lost 1.31% to £18.06 and Wood Group slipped 0.73% to finish at 820.5p.