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FTSE 100 closes higher on Wednesday

Xinhua, March 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

FTSE 100 Index, the British benchmark stock market gauge, Wednesday increased by 0.44 percent, or 30.11 points, to 6,919.24 points.

Britain's Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said Wednesday that its new projection suggest median household income of the country in fiscal year 2014-15 (started from April 2014) is at around the same level as it was in 2007-08 before the financial crisis.

British services purchasing managers' index (PMI), a gauge measuring the industry activity, slipped to 56.7 in February 2015 from 57.2 in a month prior, said Markit Economics Limited Wednesday.

Standard Chartered PLC, a Britain-based banking group, Wednesday announced that its profit before tax in the year of 2014 was 5.19 billion U.S. dollars, down by 25 percent from 2013.

ITV's share price increased by 5.73 percent, topped the gainers of the blue chips. Standard Chartered, Barclays, International Consolidated Airlines Group and Reed Elsevier increased by 5.11 percent, 3.19 percent, 2.43 percent and 2.36 percent respectively.

Fresnillo led the top losers of the blue chips with a share price drop of 8.46 percent, followed by Randgold Resources (4.22 percent), Anglo American (3.11 percent), Legal & General Group (2.84 percent) and Hargreaves Lansdown (2.82 percent).

The index has gained 5.94 percent so far this year when measured in U.S. dollar. Endit