The FTSE 100 index added 28.9 points or 0.6%, to 5270.7 by close of business, led by BP, after Lehman Brothers increased its Brent oil-price forecast and its view of the industry as a whole.
BP closed up 16p or 2.6%, to 642p, after shares earlier reached a 52-week high of 643.5p. Its closest rival, Royal Dutch Shell, also advanced 9p or 0.5% to £17.57. Other gains today include Pearson the educational publisher, which added 12p or 1.8% to 680p, as it reported first-half net income of £346m following a net loss of £9m a year earlier. Vodafone also increased 1.75p or 1.2% to 145.25p, after reporting, excluding acquisitions and asset sales, it had added 4.14 million new customers in the three months ending June, the most since the first three months of 2000. Meanwhile, B...
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