Footsie ends week on a high

Bid interest in British Gas owner Centrica reared up again today as investors took a punt on the possibility of a takeover move from Russia’s Gazprom.

Centrica shares rose by 4% and with worries over higher interest rates also easing, the FTSE 100 Index lifted 41.9 points to 5833.4 by the close – a gain of 0.7%.