FTSE 100 stays clear of the red

Friday, 06 November 2009 12:00

The FTSE 100 rose 0.33 per cent over the day to 5,142.72, led by British Airways (BA) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).

Both RBS and BA reported losses for the quarter but hopes for their future helped boost stock prices in both companies.

BA ended 6.82 per cent higher, while RBS closed 5.37 per cent up.

Commodities were also climbing on the index, with Royal Dutch Shell up by 4.87 per cent, Cairn Energy up by 2.52 per cent and Eurasian Natural Resources up by 2.52 per cent.

Several stocks fell in value over the session, including Rentokil, which was down by 6.25 per cent and Lloyds Banking, down by 2.54 per cent.

Over in the US, unemployment data was expected to affect the markets but news that the jobless level has now topped ten per cent failed to push the Dow Jones into the red as investors were cheered by an analyst upgrade for General Electric.

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