The FTSE 100 soared past the 6,000 level in afternoon trading, lifted by banks following Lloyds' £2bn special dividend payout announcement.
Blue chips were trading around 6,026 points by 2.35pm, a gain of 2.7%, putting the FTSE 100 index back on an upward trend following losses yesterday. Banks were among the highest risers, with Lloyds shares up 13.5% to 70.6p following its special dividend announcement. Barclays and RBS were also up 5% and 5.8%, respectively. Lloyds' dividend announcement has given income investors a well-needed boost following the influx of dividend cuts in mining stocks and comes despite the government-backed bank revealing annual pre-tax profits had fallen to £1.6bn from £1.8bn, following a hike in ...
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