The FTSE 100 Index gained 39 points, or 0.7%, to 5,897 points today, led by the financial and telecoms sectors.
HSBC climbed 1.49% to 989.50p after it reported an 11% rise in pre-tax profit to £11.5bn last year, but cautioned the longer term outlook remains more uncertain. Aviva rallied 2.34% higher at 830p as Lehman Brothers added the UK insurer to its European Recommended portfolio with "overweight" advice and 820p target price. Vodafone gained 2.88% to 125p after it confirmed it had earmarked its Japanese arm, Vodafone KK, for disposal and Citigroup upgraded the shares to "buy" from "hold". And BT rose 5.10% to 231.75p after renewed reports a consortium of private equity groups is considering...
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