LONDON, Apr 29: Britain’s blue-chip index rose on Monday, buoyed by strong results from Aberdeen Asset Management, while sentiment was also supported by the resolution of political stalemate in Italy.
Aberdeen surged 5.3 percent in early deals after announcing a 25 percent jump in first-half revenues, saying it would pay a dividend of 6 pence per share – a 36 percent increase on 2012.
The FTSE 100 was up 18.98 points, or 0.3 percent, at 6,445.40 by 0707 GMT.
The index underperformed continental indexes, however, with the Italian FTSE MIB gaining 1.4 percent after Enrico Letta was sworn in as the country’s Prime Minister after two-months of damaging political impasse.
The FTSE 100 had outperformed the Italian index year to date, up 9 percent compared to a 1.8 percent gain for the Italian blue chips. (AGENCIES)