FTSE shares close higher
FTSE 100 shares ended slightly higher on Friday on news that retail sales in the United States rose unexpectedly in February for the second straight month.
The benchmark index rose 0.15 percent to close at 5,625.65 points.
Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) was the most traded stock, seeing 372 million units change hands, followed by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which saw 193 million shares switch owners.
The day's top performer was broadcaster BSkyB, which added 28.5 pence -- or 5 percent -- to finish at 598, followed by RBS, which added 2.02 pence -- or 4.98 percent -- to stand at 42.57.
Investment company Resolution was the worst performer, dropping 1.15 pence -- or 1.56 percent -- to close at 72.45, followed by HSBC which shed 10.6 pence -- or 1.53 percent -- to finish at 684.
Meanwhile, sterling climbed against both the dollar and the euro.
At 17:15, the pound was trading at 1.5181 dollars, up from 1.5050 at the same time on Thursday, while the currency stood at 1.1035 euros, up from 1.1004 over the same period.
Copyright 2010  AFP European Edition
