© Scanpix/AP
|
On Friday UK's FTSE 100 index closed week at
5,552.29, 63 points or 1.2% up, led by banking stocks. Barclays PLC rose
7% HSBC Holdings PLC added 3% while Standard Chartered PLC gained 3.2%. On
Monday trade UK benchmark index extended gains after Mario Monti proposed a
plan to reduce Italy's debt burden. FTSE 100 gained 0.5% or 26.25 points to
5,578.54 in London morning trade. Financials again were the major supporters
for the index as Lloyds climbed 8.5% and Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC rallied 5.4%.