Nasdaq

The FTSE 100 index had another strong day's trading ahead of the Christmas break, as Cairn Energy and money managers made the best of the gains.

Positive attitudes and confidence reigned on the FTSE 100 index on Monday, as tobacco firms and mining giants made the best of the gains.

A major loss in the share price of oil exploration company Cairn Energy along with AstraZeneca pulled the FTSE 100 index back under 4,700 after a stronger week.

The FTSE 100 index has finally closed up over the 4,700 threshold again, in a positive day's trading for almost all firms.

The FTSE 100 index closed down the second day in a row on Thursday, but the market was led down this time by telecom stocks.

The FTSE 100 struggled to pull back from its earlier losses of the day as the New York oil price rose again from its lowest price in almost four months, and metal prices knocked confidence in mining firms.

After another tough week in the UK stockmarkets, the FTSE 100 index closed almost flat on Friday.

The FTSE 100 index finally closed up again after a bad start to the day, thanks largely to news of Bradford & Bingley's financial report, but the dollar hit a 12-year high against sterling at the same time.

The FTSE 100 index struggled to regain any confidence in Tuesday's trading after Compass and Rentokil both reported slower profit growth.

Mining giant BHP Billiton helped to lift confidence in UK trading today after announcing it had bought back more shares than initially predicted, while Corus boosted shares by increasing the price of steel.