FTSE 100 Index hits 14-year high as GDP revised higher

With signs that some resolution between Ukraine and Russia may be close at hand, the FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares hit a 14-year high of 6,873.58, the highest since December 1999.  The move higher was also boosted by good news for the UK economy where survey data showed that the service side of the economy is the strongest it’s been in 10 months.  Having been the main driver of growth this year, this improvement in activity bodes well for GDP which itself has been revised higher by the Office of National Statistics who now believe that not only was growth stronger than previously thought in every year since 2008, but that the economic downturn ended last year.