Barclays (BARC.L) was the biggest riser at the close of trading, with share price rising by 5.6 per cent to 157.9p.

The bank was buoyed by news that payment protection complaints had dropped off during the first half of the year.

However, the banking sector as a whole performed well. Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS.L) also rising, up 5.5 per cent to 23.08p, and Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) climbing 2.9 per cent higher to 30.99p.

Also among the top risers at close was Kazakh copper miner Kazakhmys (KAZ.L), which rose 5.2 per cent to 997p following news of a $250 million share buyback and solid first half results.

Guinness brewer Diageo (DGE.L) also rose at trading's close, as share price increased by 4.7 per cent to 1,170p.

The biggest faller was insurer Admiral Group (ADM.L) dropping 5.5 per cent to 1,279p, as Oriel Securities downgraded the stock to 'sell' status.

Financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.L) dropped 4.9 per cent to 404.4p, while listed hedge fund Man Group (EMG.L) shed 4.6 per cent from its share price, down to 206.1p.

Elsewhere, high street retailer Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) fell 4.4 per cent to 316.1p, as consultancy Amec (AMEC.L) slipped 4.3 per cent to 876p.

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