London’s top flight index closed above 6,300 for the first time in more than four-and-a-half years today as progress by heavyweight stocks helped keep up the New Year rally.
The FTSE 100 Index was able to build on its best start to a year in more than two decades, closing up 44.8 points to 6,339.2.
Copper miner Kazakhmys was among the biggest risers with a gain of 21.5p to 766.5p, while Anglo American was 57p higher at 1,929.5p after a £2.5billion write-off on the value of a delayed Brazilian mining project came in towards the bottom of City expectations.
Shares in Britain’s biggest supermarket Tesco gained 1%, up 5.3p to 361.3p, after new figures showed it had outpaced its three main rivals by notching up the best sales growth of the big four grocers. But competitor Morrisons shares dropped 3.2p to 254.1p as its share of the market narrowed.
Banking shares struggled today, with Royal Bank of Scotland off 6% or 22p to 345.8p amid reports it is under pressure to settle Libor-rigging allegations by pleading guilty to criminal charges in the US in addition to a £500million penalty.
In corporate updates, bookmaker William Hill set the pace in the FTSE 250 Index after it reported a strong finish to the year and said 2012 operating profits should be up by 20% on a year earlier. Shares rose 2%, up 7.6p to 374p.
The biggest FTSE 100 risers included Evraz, 8.2p higher at 301.9p, and SSE up 28p to £14.23.
Among the biggest FTSE 100 fallers were Aggreko off 46p to £17.01, BT Group 5.9p lower at 246.2p and Lloyds Banking Group down 1.2p to 51.9p.
Carrie Keenan, of investment manager and financial planning specialist Brewin Dolphin in Aberdeen, highlighted BP among the risers after gaining 1.54% to 475.65p.
Fallers today included Hunting, which gave up 2.92% to close at 830.75p.
Recommended for you
