LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) – Britain’s top share index rose
on Friday after Cyprus agreed to spin off Greek units of its
banks to Greece, helping banks pare losses in a market
underpinned by strength in BP and AstraZeneca.

Banks fell by as much as 1.2 percent in morning
trade, led by those with significant exposure to the euro zone,
such as Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds. But
they staged a partial recovery to trade down just 0.2 percent
after news of the Greek deal.

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s top share index gained early on Wednesday, recovering from three days of losses, with traders citing optimism that a fresh bailout deal for Cyprus will be struck after lawmakers rejected a deposit tax.

British markets will also be watching Chancellor George Osborne’s annual budget presentation at 1200 GMT.

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) – Britain’s top share index
gained early on Wednesday, recovering from three days of losses,
with traders citing optimism that a fresh bailout deal for
Cyprus will be struck after lawmakers rejected a deposit tax.

British markets will also be watching finance minister
George Osborne’s annual budget presentation at 1200 GMT.

LONDON, March 19 (Reuters) – Britain’s top share index fell
on Tuesday, extending losses in afternoon trade as concerns that
the Cypriot parliament will reject a bailout package hit banks
and weighed on sentiment.

Banks closed 0.9 percent lower, shaving 10 points off the
index after a subdued morning’s trade, with the Cypriot
President telling reporters that he expected the parliament to
reject a bill that it saw as unjust.

LONDON (Reuters) – The FTSE 100 fell on Tuesday with demand concerns hitting major mining stocks and uncertainty over the state of a bailout of Cyprus weighing on sentiment for a second consecutive session.

Five of the top six fallers were miners. The sector dropped 2.9 percent following broker downgrades and top executives of blue-chip firms warning of softer prices as growth in China’s steel production slows.

LONDON, March 19 (Reuters) – Britain’s top share index fell
on Tuesday with demand concerns hitting major mining stocks and
uncertainty over the state of a bailout of Cyprus weighing on
sentiment for a second consecutive session.

Five of the top six fallers were miners. The
sector dropped 2.9 percent following broker downgrades and top
executives of blue-chip firms warning of softer prices as growth
in China’s steel production slows.

LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) – Britain’s main share index
slipped 0.6 percent on Friday, with heavyweight banks and energy
stocks leading the losses after data from the U.S. failed to
boost prices past the five-year highs set in the previous
session.

The FTSE 100 weakened in afternoon trade after U.S.
consumer sentiment tumbled to its lowest in over a
year.

LONDON (Reuters) – The top share index fell on Friday, hit by an analyst downgrade to the country’s biggest company, but was set for a fifth straight weekly gain having set a fresh five-year high in the previous session.

Royal Dutch Shell was the top FTSE 100 faller, taking 10 points off the index, after JPMorgan cut its rating on the stock to “underweight” from “neutral”.