(Alliance News) – The FTSE 100 reversed early falls to close higher on Thursday, buoyed by strong housebuilders which helped offset weak retailers after soft trading at Puma and Primark owner, AB Foods.
The FTSE 100 index rose 20.07 points, 0.2%, at 8,565.20. It earlier set a new intra-day high of 8,572.51.
The FTSE 250 lost 59.91 points, 0.3%, at 20,520.39, and the AIM All-Share ended down just 0.14 of a point at 720.86.
The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.3% at 859.10, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0.3% at 17,914.15, while the Cboe Small Companies leapt 1.7% to 16,033.93.
In European equities on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris ended up 0.7%, as did the DAX 40 in Frankfurt.
Stocks in New York were mixed on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.5%, the S&P 500 added 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite gave up 0.2%.
Figures in the US showed initial jobless claims increased by more than expected in the most recent week.
According to the Department of…
