London shares end year on a high
London shares ended a traumatic year on an optimistic note on Wednesday with investors hoping for a more prosperous 2009.
The FTSE 100 index of leading shares closed up 0.94 percent at 4,434.17 points after a half-day trading.
Little can be read into the end of year rally as trading was very light with most investors taking the day off to join in New Year celebrations.
Vodafone was the most heavily-traded stock, seeing 54.4 million shares switch owners, followed by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) which saw 18.5 million units change hands.
First Group was the day's biggest gainer, adding 20.5 pence -- or 4.96 percent -- to close at 434, followed by Standard Charter, which added 41 pence -- or 4.92 percent -- to end at 875.
Vedanta was the biggest blue chip casualty, down 47.5 pence -- or 7.21 percent -- to finish on 611.5, followed by Aviva, which shed 17.75 pence -- or 4.35 percent -- to 390.
Copyright 2008  AFP European Edition
