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Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC were among the shares that resisted buffeting from fears over the single currency and European debt, adding between 0.1 and 1.8 percent to their value, reports Reuters.
Stock market traders seeking cut-price assets helped push BP shares back up, raising the price by 1.1 per cent. The company's value has fallen by almost 50 per cent since the oil spill in mid-April.
Royal Dutch Shell also improved its performance, climbing by 0.4 per cent, while competitor BG Group fell back 0.2 per cent, according to the news agency.
The day's trading benefited Britain's top shares and was buoyed by a greater-than-expected decrease in consumer prices inflation following a drop in the cost of food and other goods.
European shares also rallied yesterday, as high demand for national debt reassured traders in the wake of Greece's credit downgrading.
Posted by Greg Secker
