Friday, Aug 17, 2012

1032 GMT [Dow Jones] FTSE 100 is up 0.2% at 5845.25, nudging higher again. "The slow easing of tension about the euro-zone crisis has been the chief hallmark of the past two weeks of trading," says Will Hedden at IG Index. "We know the crisis is far from a real solution, and that all we've had so far are fine words, but investors seem content to think that the ECB is readying something fairly impressive with a view to using it sometime in September," he adds. Johnson Matthey is the biggest gainer, up 2.9% as platinum prices rise. Banks are also on the front foot, with Lloyds Bank +2.7% and Barclays +2.3%. On the downside, Pennon is off 1.9% after a broker downgrade. Next up, investors will eye University of Michigan confidence at 1355 GMT. (michele.maatouk@dowjones.com)

 

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 17, 2012 06:32 ET (10:32 GMT)