Barclays results give banking shares a boost

Barclays gave bank shares a boost today as it unveiled better-than-expected profits of £6.1bn (€7.3bn) in a strong start to the sector’s annual results season.

But the wider FTSE 100 Index closed in the red – down 23 points at 6037.1p – as miners dragged it lower and after weak US retail sales figures hit sentiment on Wall Street.