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Robust oil and gold prices and the safe haven appeal of utility stocks supported the FTSE 100, though peers in Europe struggled as investors nervously count down the minutes until a US labour market reading.
The ADP jobs data is reported at 1315 BST on Wednesday. It is an understudy to the main event, Friday’s nonfarms. Elsewhere on Wednesday, there are US PMI readings at 1445 BST and 1500 BST.
The FTSE 100 index was up 32.50 points, 0.4%, at 7,667.02. The FTSE 250 was down 79.87 points, 0.4%, at 18,735.17, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.00 points, 0.3%, at 808.22.
The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 766.97, the Cboe UK 250 down 0.7% at 16,320.23, and the Cboe Small Companies down 0.1% at 13,219.82.
‘The FTSE 100 is heading into Easter with a spring in its step despite weaker than expected data from the US,’ AJ Bell analyst Danni Hewson commented.
‘Figures on job openings and factory orders are pointing towards a potential recession for the world‘