With agreement thought to be close, FTSE 100 closes at highest level in six months
Increasing hopes that an eleventh-hour trade deal will be agreed between the UK and the EU has sent the pound to its highest level against the dollar in almost a year.
With an agreement between London and Brussels thought to be close, sterling rose to $1.35 against a generally weak US currency for the first time since 13 December 2019, the day after the Conservatives secured an 80-seat majority in the general election.