Barclays (BARC.L) was the FTSE 100's biggest riser at the close of trading with share price climbing by 5.2 per cent to 222.6p.

The strong rise in the banking sector was one of the highlights of the afternoon's trading with Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland Group both among the biggest climbers.

Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) rose 4.1 per cent to 44.91p, while Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS.L) rose 3.1 per cent to 34.11p.

Microchip manufacturer Arm Holdings (ARM.L) saw its share price increase by 4.9 per cent to 611p, after Apple reported strong profit growth in its third quarter update.

Broadcaster ITV (ITV.L) also rose by 3.8 per cent to 67.2p, as analysts at UBS reiterated its 'buy' recommendation for the company.

The biggest fallers were commodities trader Glencore International (GLEN.L) Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT.L) and interdealer broker ICAP (ICAP.L) each dropping by 1.3 per cent to 482p, 2,113p and 465.9p, respectively.

Supermarket Sainsburys (SBRY.L) shed 0.9 per cent from its share price, falling to 313.1p, while Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) closed 0.5 per cent lower at 352.2p.

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