U.K. banks rallied on Friday, with a rise in mortgage approvals giving a modest boost to confidence, but losses from the mining sector dragged the top index to a lower close.
Barclays rose 5.8% and the Royal Bank of Scotland added 4.8% to conclude a wild week in the banking sector.
Approvals rose to 31,000 in December from 27,000 in November, though it still was the second-worst figure in history. Total net lending also rose.
"If these data continue to show an improvement in the flow of credit then this is tentative good news," said Alan Clarke, an economist at BNP Paribas.
After a volatile session, the FTSE 100 closed down 1% to 4,149.64, as markets took in a mixed reaction to economic data from the U.S.
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