FTSE up 41 points

The London market was given a late session boost from the US today, but the lift was not enough to save Royal Bank of Scotland from plunging into the red.

Part-nationalised RBS closed 12% down after reporting £7.5bn (€8.82bn) of bad debts and warning of a lengthy recovery - scrapping any paper profits the taxpayer notched up on its 70% stake in yesterday's session.