Markets: FTSE 100 continues its rise

Yesterday's close: FTSE 100 up 0.4% to 6,750; Gold up 1.5% to $1,340.08/oz; £/$ 1.3223

The FTSE 100 continued to climb yesterday, up 0.4% to close at 6,750.

Housebuilders were the top performers. Taylor Wimpey led the index up with a 7.2%, while Barratt Developments, Persimmon and Berkeley Group rose between 6.8% and 5.3%.

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The FTSE 250 added 1.2% to 17,265, and the FTSE All-Share index gained 0.5% to 3,663.

In Europe, the Paris CAC 40 rose 1.2% to 4,446 and the German Xetra Dax gained 0.7% to 10,319.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped one point to 18,472, the S&P 500 lost 0.1% to 2,166, and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.6% higher at 5,139.

Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 and the broader Topix index each fell 1.1% to 16,476 and 1,307 respectively. And in China, the CSI 300 added 0.1% to 3,221, and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.1% to 2,994.

Brent spot was trading at $43.44 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $41.96. Spot gold was trading at $1,342 an ounce, silver was at $20.43 and platinum was at $1,1151.

In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.3207 and against the euro at 1.1894. The dollar was trading at 0.9006 against the euro and 104.75 against the Japanese yen.

And in the UK, Lloyds Bank says it is to close 200 branches, with the loss of 3,000 jobs as it attempts to cut costs ahead of an expected cut in interest rates by the Bank of England.