Financials push FTSE up to year high

London's blue-chip index is 34.67 points higher (075%) to 4681.8 after touching 4,704.36, its highest point since January. Financials continued to dominate the top slots, with Lloyds Banking Group up 6.7% to 99.45p after double-digit gains on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Scotland is also ahead, up 6.47% to 51.85p. Insurer Aviva is also in favour after better-than-expected profit results for the first half of the year. It is currently 6% ahead to 377.8p. In New York on Wednesday, stocks slipped on figures showing a sharper-than-expected contraction in the services sector. The Dow Jon...