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London close: Stocks barely changed, pound rallies as investors eye Brexit deal
Thu, 24th Dec 2020 12:52
(Sharecast News) - London stocks ended a shortened session just in the black on Thursday, as sterling rallied on expectations that a Brexit deal will be announced later in the day, on what felt like an otherwise sparkle-free, mostly Tier 4 Christmas Eve.
The FTSE 100 closed up just 0.1% at 6,501.72. Meanwhile, the pound was 0.7% higher against the dollar at 1.3586 and 0.6% firmer versus the euro at 1.1138 as investors awaited an announcement on a Brexit trade deal.
A stronger pound tends to hold back the top-flight index as around 70% of its constituents derive their earnings from overseas. The domestically-focused FTSE 250 fared a lot better, however, ending up 1.2% at 20,531.00. ....

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