The lingering worries about a possible increase in interest rates and a deepening recession were shrugged aside yesterday as London's equity market finished a week of startling gains with another good performance.

Although closing just below the session's best levels, leading stocks nevertheless posted widespread gains, with buying interest fuelled once again by overseas trends. The main thrust was an influx of US money and influences.

Although lacking direction at the outset yesterday, Wall Street delivered another of its now customary powerful performances on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average pushed up over 90 points, through the 9,300, barrier and hitting another record in the process. Dealers also noted that the Nasdaq Composite pierced the 2,000 barrier for the first time.

London's best level of the day came minutes ahead of the expiry of FTSE 100 index options, at which point Footsie raced up to within four points of its intra-day record of 6,180.4, which it hit on Thursday.

As the options expired, so the leading stocks had to endure small flurries of profit-taking.

After coming back very sharply, when that 60-point gain dropped to one of around 10 points, sentiment was given another lift. Footsie picked up momentum and ended the day 57.2 ahead at an all-time closing high of 6,174.0.

That gain left the 100 index up a massive 244.3, or 4.1 per cent, over the week.

Turnover was a rather unspectacular 734.5 million shares.