The FTSE 100 rose ahead of the Bank of England’s interest rate decision, while Sainsbury’s (SBRY) jumped as it offloaded its banking arm to NatWest (NWG).
The blue-chip index added 0.2%, or 16 points, to 8,221 as attention turned to UK monetary policy.
Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said the market had ‘ruled out a cut today, but the accompanying comments will be scrutinised for any signs that the Bank is preparing to ease its current grip’.