| Week of gains looks likely to continue in London |
The Footsie index of 100 leading stocks looks set to complete a full week of gains.
By mid-morning, the Footsie 100 is ahead 71.5 points at 4835.1, after being buoyed by a strong session in the US last night.
Rises in banking stocks are pushing the market higher, with Royal Bank of Scotland up 25p at £15.21; Lloyds TSB 12p ahead at 645p; and Barclays up 58p at £18.89.
Banks with Far East links are being helped by a lift in the Hang Seng and Nikkei indexes in Hong Kong and Tokyo respectively, with HSBC up 20p at 708½p; and Standard Chartered up 20p at 674p.
Insurers are also benefiting from a surge in confidence after a difficult few days, with Prudential up 26p at 669½p; CGNU gaining 32p at 825p; and Legal & General picking up 4¾p at 144¾p.
Logistics and support services group Hays is topping the Footsie risers' board, with a gain of 6% or 8¼p at 151¼p.
Shares in Footsie 250-listed Cordiant Communications are down 41% or 39p at 56½p after it said the slowing global economy, and the knock-on effects of the US attacks would hit revenues and profits.
Cordiant's blue chip rival WPP is down 17½p to 502½p; while United Business Media has fallen by 11½p to 379½p.
Shares in Footsie 250-listed telecoms equipment group Marconi are up 9% or 1½p at 18½p as they bounce back from a broker's note branding them virtually worthless.
And shares in the London Stock Exchange are up 7% or 20¼p at 328p after it confirmed a bid approach for the futures and options exchange LIFFE.
Story filed: 11:29 Friday 28th September 2001
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