CITY Pound 171136
The FTSE 100 closed higher despite losing steam at the end of the trading session in the face of a late rally in the price of the pound.
Western markets were given a lift at the start of the session by optimistic economic rebound predictions by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
However, the London markets performed significantly behind their European counterparts as the IMF cut its growth forecast for the UK.
London's top flight closed 15.16 points, or 0.23% higher, at 6,654.01 at the close of play on Tuesday.
Connor Campbell, financial analyst at Spreadex, said: "The overall mood was helped by the IMF revising its forecasts for the world economy for 2021; the Washington-based institution is now looking for growth of 5.5% this year, compared to the 5.2% increase forecast in October.