Financial sector’s gains boost FTSE

The FTSE 100 Index was up 145.6 points to 6,012.81 in a strong day’s trading for the financial sector, which saw shares at RSA Insurance rise 38.7p to 433.2p after its operating profit beat forecasts, jumping 43% to £523 million in the 12 months to the end of December.

Commodity stocks also contributed to the gains, with oil giant BP up 3.4p to 338.4p despite Brent crude falling 1.6% to $33.87 a barrel.

The pound was slightly up against the dollar at 1.394 and slightly down against the euro at 1.263.

In Europe, Germany’s Dax was up 1.7%, while the Cac 40 in France rose more than 2.2%.