Around the World's Markets: London

A STRONG performance by British Telecom propelled the market to within striking distance of May's record intraday high.

The FTSE 100 closed 104.4 points higher at 6,551.4. It was the seventh consecutive day on the upward march, and analysts said the index was building a launchpad for an assault on its record high of 6663.8. "When you get a very strong, straight line move like we've had, that's usually a positive signal," one analyst said.

Market report, page 24