Despite their role in helping the FTSE fall well below 6,000 over the last few weeks, banks are this morning helping propel the index into the black.
Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) all lead the FTSE winner’s table in early trading on Wednesday, prompting the index to climb more than 21 points, or 0.39%, to 5,656.5. Barclays has advanced 17p, or 5.47%, to 327.75p, while RBS and HBOS have both climbed by over 3% to 226.75p and 283.25p respectively. However, hindering the early morning progress of the FTSE are United Utilities, Old Mutual and Xstrata. United Utilities has dropped 29p to 693p, Old Mutual by 3.6p to 94.7p and Xstrata by 130p to £40.23. In the US, reports the Federal Reserve will...
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