London’s FTSE 100 index has set a fresh record after risk appetite was boosted by strong trading for US markets last night.
The blue-chip index opened 0.7% or 62 points higher at 7926, having hit an intra-day all-time high of 7906 on Friday.
In today’s corporate updates, Barratt Developments reported a 15.9% rise in half-year profits to £521.5 million and said there were some early signs of improvement in trading during January.