The FTSE 100 Index rose 62.70 points, or 1.12%, to 5681.5 at its close a short while ago BP and Royal Dutch Shell leading the advance as concern about disruptions to Russian natural-gas deliveries sent energy prices higher.
BP rose 18p, or 2.91% to 637p. Shell, Europe's second-largest oil company, gained 59p, or 3.18%, to 1917p. Oil rose as much as 1.1% to $61.72 a barrel in New York, a fourth straight day of gains. BG Group, an oil and gas producer that also owns 25% of the Interconnector gas pipeline linking Belgium with the UK, rose 20p, or 3.48% to 594.5p In the US, stocks have so far fallen the first trading day of 2006, hurt by weaker-than-expected manufacturing data and higher oil prices, as investors await the minutes from a Federal Reserve meeting for clues to when the cycle of interest rate incre...
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