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Britain’s main stock market closes at record high

May 17, 2018 | 11:03 AM

LONDON — Britain’s FTSE 100 index of leading shares has closed at a record high.

The index ended Thursday’s session 0.7 per cent higher at 7,787.97, surpassing its previous peak of 7,778 in mid-January.

Since then, the index, like others around the world, has been hugely volatile. A bout of selling in February partly linked to fears about U.S. protectionism prompted many to think that stocks would endure a difficult year in 2018.

Many of those investor fears have eased and stocks around the world have advanced.