London's FTSE 100 set for weekly gains; Barratt surges

Britain's FTSE 100 index rose on Friday and was on track to end the week with gains of more than 6% as investors bet on a swift economic recovery, while Barratt Developments surged on plans to resume dividend payouts next month.

Britain's FTSE 100 index rose on Friday and was on track to end the week with gains of more than 6% as investors bet on a swift economic recovery, while Barratt Developments surged on plans to resume dividend payouts next month. The UK's biggest homebuilder surged 3.5% to the top of the FTSE 100 as it also posted a rise in forward six-month sales.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index gained 0.2%, led by consumer discretionary and energy stocks. The domestically focussed mid-cap index rose 0.8% as data showed Britain's job market strengthened for the first time in three months in December.