FTSE 100 shares climb before Fed call
London stocks climbed higher on Wednesday as dealers paused after recent sharp losses before the US Federal Reserve's imminent monetary policy verdict.
The FTSE 100 index of leading shares rose 0.97 percent to 4,716.76 points.
Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) was the most widely traded stock, seeing 140 million units change hands, followed by Vodafone, which saw 114 million shares switch owners.
Construction company Balfour Beattie was the top gainer, up 26.4 pence -- or 8.26 percent -- to end at 346, followed by LBG, which added 5.84 pence -- or 6.42 percent -- to stand at 96.83.
The casualties of the day were silver miner Fresnillo, which slipped 21 pence -- or 3.64 percent -- to finish at 556.5, and independent broker ICap, which shed 13.6 pence -- or 3.05 percent -- to end at 431.8.
Elsewhere, the pound climbed against the dollar but fell against the euro.
Sterling was worth 1.6549 US dollars at 15:58 BST, up from from 1.6479 at Tuesday's close, while it fell to 1.1629 euros from 1.1646 over the same period.
Copyright 2009  AFP European Edition
