Footsie ends dull week on a high as blue-chips surge

BLUE-CHIP shares raced ahead yesterday to end an otherwise gloomy week on a high note.

The FTSE 100 halted four days of losses as a host of corporate updates and a stronger showing on Wall Street lifted trading. It meant the top flight index was able to pull through the 4100 mark to close 96.2 points ahead at 4107.2.

In the UK, the hard-pressed manufacturing sector was boosted by official data showing a larger-than-expected bounce back in output in July. And in the US, traders were cheered by data showing the nation’s unemployment rate in August had seen a surprise improvement.