A decent showing on Wall Street and Asia overnight gave some much-needed impetus to London’s stock markets this morning.
The FTSE 100 rose 35 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 7,493.99 but the gains are unlikely to be enough to prevent a weekly decline for the index after a choppy week of trading. The more UK-focused FTSE 250, down 42 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 18,989.71, is poised for a third consecutive weekly loss.
A slight weakness in the pound supported companies earning in dollars, such as British American Tobacco and InterContinental Hotels Group, which gained 32½p, or 1.4 per cent, to £23.21½ and 116p, or 1.6 per cent, to £74.60 respectively. The pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca also added 166p, or 1.6 per
