London’s blue chip FTSE 100 Index gained more than £17billion today, buoyed by signs of the returning health of the US economy.
The top flight surged through the 6,200 mark after the US government was given another three months to pay its bills by America’s House of Representatives.
A raft of better than expected purchasing managers’ manufacturing figures, including in the US, contributed to the bullish mood – helping the Footsie close up 67.3 to 6,264.9, its highest level since May 2008.
The rise came despite disappointing sales figures from technology giant Apple and its failure to lift quarterly earnings by double-digits for the first time in several years.
ARM Holdings, whose chip designs are found in many of Apple’s products, still managed to gain 2%, up 18p to 867.5p.
Among stocks doing well, Vodafone was up 3%, or 5.2p to 168.7p and advertising and marketing group WPP gained 19.5p to 976.5p.
Low-cost airline easyJet took the plaudits in the FTSE 250 Index after it forecast much reduced losses for its seasonally-quieter first half. Shares were up 5%, or 43.5p to 898.5p.
Carphone Warehouse was also up, by 11p to £2.30, after it reported a 16% jump in UK sales even though it admitted the rise had come at the expense of profit margins.
Greggs warmed 5p to 480.3p after the bakery chain announced the appointment of Punch Taverns boss Roger Whiteside as its new chief executive.
Steven McKay, of investment manager and financial planning specialist Brewin Dolphin in Aberdeen, noted A.G. Barr jumped 5.1% to 569.5p, Eland Oil and Gas added 2.29% to 122.5p and Aberdeen Asset Management closed up 2.27% at 405.5p.
Bridge Energy fell 3.85% to £1, Parkmead Group gave up 0.81% at 15.375p and Petrofac slipped 0.35% to £17.29.