The FTSE 100 Index remained near a four-month high today as encouraging signs from the US economy settled investors at the end of a nervy week.

Scientists will today start a final all-out attempt to locate Britain’s Beagle 2 Mars probe.

A specialist team of experts was tonight trying to work out why the Beagle 2 Mars probe has so far failed to make contact with Earth, as efforts to communicate with the craft continued.