Shares gained in the UK as the Bank of England left interest rates on hold today with the decision not to increase the base rate, helping send the FTSE 100 index up 22.70 points to 4,381.10 by the close.
Banks rose as the decision means they are less likely to lose mortgage customers. Abbey gained 18.5p to 500p. HBOS added 11p to 680p. Royal Bank of Scotland added 24p to 1,563p. BP gained 6p to 487p after signing an agreement after years of talks to ship Russian oil via the Ukraine to a Black Sea port. Sainsbury added 3p to 275p after announcing it will oppose a £2.3m payment to ousted chairman Peter Davis after consulting lawyers and major shareholders. British Airways dropped 7.5p to 254p as spot oil prices swung higher. Diageo has lost 12.5p to 712.5p after announcin...
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