London stocks rose in early trade on Friday as investors mulled better-than-expected UK GDP data, although the outlook was not as bright.
At 0840 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 0.4% at 7,128.05, while sterling was flat against the dollar at 1.3084 as figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the economy bounced back strongly in January after taking a hit from the Omicron variant and Plan B restrictions.
GDP grew 0.8% after contracting by 0.2% in December, coming in comfortably ahead of expectations of 0.1% growth. This leave GDP 0.8% above pre-pandemic February 2020 levels.
Jarvis Investment Management Ltd offers a wide range of stockbroking and administration services and solutions. Their parent company, Jarvis Securities plc (LON:JIM) is listed on AIM.