Markets: FTSE 100 ends the week on a positive note

FTSE 100 up 0.2% to 6,647

Gold up 2.26% to $1,188.75/oz

£/$ - 1.5669

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The FTSE 100 ended the week slightly up on Friday. The index closed up 0.2% at 6,647, a gain of 1.2% in the week.

Power equipment supplier Aggreko was the day's top performer, climbing 3.4% after issuing a positive statement on profits. Supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury's were also in demand, rising 2% and 1.9% respectively.

In European markets, the Paris CAC 40 rose 15 points to 4,202, and the German Xetra Dax added four points to 9,252.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1% to 17,634, the S&P 500 flat at 2,039, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.2% to 4,688.

Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 slid 3% to 16,973, and the broader Topix lost 2.5% to 1,366. And in China, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 2,474, and the CSI 300 was 0.5% lower at 2,567.

Brent spot was trading at $78.20 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $74.90. Spot gold was trading at $1,189 an ounce, silver was at $16.18 and platinum was at $1,203.

In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5665 and against the euro at 1.2508. The dollar was trading at 0.7984 against the euro and 116.06 against the Japanese yen.

And in the UK, asking prices for residential properties fell by 1.7% in November, according to the latest data from Rightmove. In the last year, however, the average asking price rose by 8.5% to £267.127.

David Stevenson, former MoneyWeek writer and director of The Fleet Street Letter, believessilver could be about to start a record climb. Click here(capital at risk)to read about the three irresistible forces David believes could push the price of silver through the roof.