Financials help halt FTSE sell-off

The FTSE 100 has halted its two-day slide as investors buy back into equities following yesterday's sharp sell-off, with Lloyds and other financials leading the pack.

The blue-chip index - which yesterday experienced its worst session in 18 months after dropping 3% - stemmed the sell-off seen for much of this week. It gained 30.9 points or 0.5% to 6,190 as investors snapped up sold-off shares. Among them, a number of financials were firmer as investors responded to Chancellor George Osborne's announcement the government is actively looking at options to offload part of its 39% stake in Lloyds. The news has boosted forecasts for Lloyds, and today the stock was among the winners, gaining 1.5% or 0.94p to 62.17p. It is now nearing its recent high of 6...