Strong US job figures boost stock markets

Good jobs figures in the US helped drive up shares on the other side of the pond, as the FTSE 100 pushed higher to finish the week on a positive note.

The UK blue chip index closed up 54.04 points at 7,302.42, with miners leading the way to help the FTSE end the week around 20 points below where it started on Monday.

The US added 128,000 jobs last month, way ahead of the 89,000 which had been forecast, meanwhile the figure for September was revised upwards from 136,000 to 180,000.

This “added to the bullish sentiment,” said David Madden, an analyst at CMC Markets UK.

“The news jolted stocks higher as it is clear the largest economy in the world is still in good health,” he said.

He added: “Continental equity markets rallied in October on the back of the Brexit deal, so today’s positive announcement from the US ensured that November got off to a good start.”

Royal Bank of Scotland’s new boss has said complexity is getting in the way of delivering customer service and value.

Speaking to staff as she stepped up to the role as chief executive, Alison Rose pledged to simplify the bank’s processes. Shares edged up 2p at 214.7p.

The chief executive of car dealership business Lookers departed the company after 19 years as the firm warned the challenging car market is continuing to hit the business. The company said trading since mid-september had “been much more challenging than expected”. Shares dropped sharply on the news but recovered during the day to finish just 1.8p down at 48.7p.