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LONDON (AFP) –
London's leading shares soared higher on Monday on news of a trillion-dollar rescue deal agreed by the European Union and International Monetary Fund to ease the eurozone debt crisis.
The benchmark FTSE 100 index jumped 5.16 percent to close at 5,387.42.
Banking stocks led the rally with shares in banking Barclays jumping 16.2 percent -- or 45.9 pence -- to end at 329.6, while those in Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) added 14 percent -- or 7.47 pence -- to end at 61.
Gold miner Randgold Reserves was the biggest blue chip faller, slipping 0.98 percent -- or 55 pence -- to end at 5,580, followed by oil giant BP, which lost 0.85 percent -- or 4.7 pence -- to end at 549.2.
Lloyds was the most traded stock, seeing 562 million shares change hands, followed by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) which saw 365 million units switch owners.
Meanwhile, the pound rose against the dollar while it fell slightly against the euro.
At 17:07, the pound was trading at 1.490 dollars, up from 1.476 at the same time on Friday, while sterling was valued at 1.158 euros, down from 1.159 over the same period.
