A much better than expected indication of strength among services companies in China bolstered Asian stock markets on Friday and gave Europe a firm open as well.The positive economic news counteracted growing concern about higher-for-longer US interest rates and declines for FTSE 100 constituents Pearson and Rightmove following their annual results.The FTSE 100 index was up 23.67 points, 0.3%, at

The mood was gloomy in London on Tuesday with stocks closing sharply in the red as investors were spooked by the Bank of England further intervening in the UK bond market on top of the IMF downgrading the global economic outlook.The FTSE 100 index closed down 74.08 points, 1.1%, at 6,885.23. The FTSE 250 ended down 221.23 points, 1.3%, at 16,904.06, and the AIM All-Share closed 11.93 points down,