Around the World's Markets: London

A WALL STREET reversal late in London's session scuppered hopes of a record close, led by further gains from media stocks. The FTSE 100 ended up 6.6 points at 6,731.2 - just 11 points shy of its 3 December closing peak of 6,742.1.

The market spent much of the day on course for the record, lifted by a strong opening on Wall Street, but prices fell back as the Dow slipped into reverse. The media sector was the main boost to the FTSE, yielding 11 points of upside.

Market report, page 17