Anglo American boosts London's FTSE 100 to near record high

Britain's FTSE 100 opened near record highs on Friday, boosted by Anglo-American after Reuters reported Glencore is exploring an approach for the miner, while Diageo advanced after naming a new chief financial officer. The blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 0.3% by 0709 GMT, a whisker away from a record high, and is set for a second straight week of gains.

Britain's FTSE 100 opened near record highs on Friday, boosted by Anglo-American after Reuters reported Glencore is exploring an approach for the miner, while Diageo advanced after naming a new chief financial officer.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 0.3% by 0709 GMT, a whisker away from a record high, and is set for a second straight week of gains. Anglo American jumped 3.2% after Reuters reported that Glencore was mulling an approach for the 107-year old miner, a move that could spark a bidding war.

Glencore was down 1.8%. The industrial metal miners index rose 0.3% on the news.

Diageo gained 1.1% after the global drinks group named Nik Jhangiani as its chief financial officer. Tech titan Apple added to the upbeat mood seen in Asian stocks after the iPhone maker announced a $110 billion share buyback programme.

The mid-cap FTSE 250 was flat. Domestic PMI data for April, Euro zone's unemployment rate for March, and U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for April will be on investors' radar later in the day.