The FTSE 100 index eventually managed to pull back its losses of the day, sparked by the prospect of further Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks in the US and the UK.
The FTSE 100 index closed up 2.6 points to 4,415.70 today after UK shares regained ground, led by HSBC and Abbey. HSBC rose 28p to 835.5p after the lender announced first-half profit had exceeded expectations. Abbey National, the UK's second-largest mortgage lender, advanced 12p, or 2.1%, to 579p after HBOS said it may try to challenge the £8.2bn offer made by the Spanish bank Santander Central Hispano SA. That said, the impact of terror alerts was fairly hefty on oil prices again, as the September futures oil price hit a record high of $43.92 a barrel earlier in New York and rai...
To continue reading this article...
Join Professional Adviser for free
- Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
- Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
- Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
- Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
- Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
- Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes