EU deal pushes FTSE into the black

The London market finished the week on a high today as most EU countries agreed to explore plans for a closer union to get to grips with the region’s debt crisis.

With all 26 EU member states apart from the UK having agreed in principle to push ahead with a separate accord on a “fiscal compact” for the euro, the FTSE 100 Index rose 45.4 points at 5529.2, with banks leading the way.