Embattled airline British Airways led a fifth day of gains on the FTSE 100 Index today after announcing emergency funding plans.

The US Federal Reserve, in an extraordinarly rare weekend move, took bold action to provide cash to financially squeezed Wall Street investment houses, a fresh effort to prevent a spreading credit crisis from sinking the US economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average swept past 14,000 for the first time today after a relatively tame inflation report gave investors reason to extend an extraordinary Wall Street rally.

Wall Street wobbled through an indecisive session today, finishing modestly lower as investors, worried about the economy and terrorism, had no conviction to sustain even a mild wave of bargain-hunting.

AIB Bank and Bank of Ireland may become takeover targets for National Australia Bank when a former Barclays’ Bank deputy chief executive takes over NAB’s European operations in August.