Lloyds Share News (LLOY)

- Footsie finishes the week up 1.4 per cent- Eurozone debt crisis eases, US data mixed- Essar closes up 10 per centThe Footsie finished the week strongly, closing not too far off the elusive 6,000 mark, with financials and miners making ground as tensions arising from the Eurozone's debt crisis continued to ease. The blue chip index now stands 79 points higher than last Friday's close of 5,887. In fact, analysts at Citigroup have said today that the Footsie could double over the next decade.Stocks fell slightly after midday as two economic indicators from the US came in mixed. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer confidence for March gave a preliminary reading of 74.3 versus 75.3 in February, slightly below expectations. Meanwhile, the consumer prices index in the US surprised on the upside, gaining 0.4% in February following a 0.2% rise in January. In Eurozone news, President of the European Commission (EC) José Manual Durao Barroso said late yesterday that the "important reforms" undertaken by EU countries such as Italy and Spain have improved the overall situation in the Eurozone. To further boost confidence the International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgraded its view on Greece on Friday. It now estimates that the country´s debt to GDP ratio could fall to 116.5% by 2020, versus the 120.5% previously estimated. ESSAR, BANKS LEAD THE FOOTSIE HIGHEREssar Energy led the rise, gaining 10%, on the day that it is expected to be kicked out of the FTSE 100 after the latest quarterly reshuffle. The firm reported earlier in the week that it had completed one of the new units at a major refinery upgrade. Shares have fallen steadily over the past 12 months, and finished this week at 124.9p, just over a quarter of the value of the current 52-week high of 489.9p.Royal Bank of Scotland was also a higher riser, up 6.3%, after being upgraded by both Investec and UBS to buy. Investec said that following its earlier downgrade last month of the stock, the bank is now "overtly safe" with a loan-to-deposit ratio of 108% and a core tier one ratio of 10.6%. Sector peers Lloyds, Standard Chartered and Barclays were also making gains.Tullow Oil, which released record results earlier this week, had more good news for shareholders with the successful drilling of an appraisal well off the coast of Ghana. Shares were up nearly 4% after it said that an appraisal well has successfully encountered oil in very good quality sandstone reservoirs. Leading the downside was Polymetal and Randgold Resources as gold prices took a hit. Polymetal continues to make headlines concerning the rumoured merger with Russian peer Polyus Gold, which is aiming to raise its free float to 25% (from 14%) in order to gain a long-awaited premium listing on the FTSE 100. Copper mining peers Antofagasta, Glencore and Xstrata were all performing well, helped by a note by Jefferies which said that copper prices should rise due to supply issues. However, the US broker warned that this may not lead to higher earnings for the miners. Meanwhile, mining giants Anglo American and BHP Billiton are rumoured to be interested US coal group Walter Energy, according to Nick Fletcher from the Guardian. The Market Forces Live blog also cites speculation that investment tycoon Warren Buffett could also be weighing up a bid. Pharmaceuticals giant Shire was up 0.9% after JP Morgan Cazenove upgraded its rating to overweight and lifted its target price, while security firm G4S was slightly lower after a downgrade from Goldman Sachs. GKN, which manufactures parts for Airbus jets, was being weighed down by reports that China has delayed the purchase of 10 more A330 jets, escalating the tension over the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme. FTSE 250: RETAILERS ON THE UP Retailing peers Dixons Retail, Ocado, SuperGroup and Home Retail were providing a lift on the second-tier index, with the latter being lifted by an upgrade by HSBC from underweight to overweight. Shares in Imagination Technologies Group, the company behind the technology used in Apple's new iPad, leapt to their highest level in nearly 18 years following positive comments from Goldman Sachs. Analyst Simon Schafer said that "IMG remains at the heart of some of the most significant smartphone and tablet ecosystems", and forecast a 1,000p rise in the share price over the next year, compared to a previous prediction of 850p. BCFTSE 100 - RisersEssar Energy (ESSR) 124.90p +9.95%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 28.14p +6.31%ICAP (IAP) 431.50p +4.68%Tullow Oil (TLW) 1,528.00p +3.87%Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 496.30p +3.85%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 37.50p +2.87%WPP (WPP) 860.00p +2.81%ITV (ITV) 89.90p +2.57%Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,662.50p +2.28%British Land Co (BLND) 513.00p +2.19%FTSE 100 - FallersPolymetal International (POLY) 961.50p -3.37%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 6,490.00p -2.41%Resolution Ltd. (RSL) 278.80p -1.83%GKN (GKN) 217.20p -1.09%United Utilities Group (UU.) 615.00p -0.89%National Grid (NG.) 644.00p -0.85%SSE (SSE) 1,320.00p -0.83%Tate & Lyle (TATE) 710.00p -0.70%Unilever (ULVR) 2,085.00p -0.67%Royal Dutch Shell 'B' (RDSB) 2,285.00p -0.65%FTSE 250 - RisersOcado Group (OCDO) 131.80p +10.66%Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 701.00p +9.62%Dixons Retail (DXNS) 17.00p +6.45%Yule Catto & Co (YULC) 251.00p +6.09%Ophir Energy (OPHR) 437.30p +5.63%Homeserve (HSV) 254.90p +5.03%St James's Place (STJ) 370.50p +4.60%Supergroup (SGP) 627.50p +4.58%Telecom Plus (TEP) 685.00p +4.50%AG Barr (BAG) 1,245.00p +4.45%FTSE 250 - FallersSpirit Pub Company (SPRT) 56.75p -6.97%Stobart Group Ltd. (STOB) 130.00p -4.76%Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CW.) 33.49p -4.12%Impax Environmental Markets (IEM) 99.50p -3.21%BH Global Ltd. USD Shares (BHGU) 11.6 -2.93%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 50.00p -2.91%Britvic (BVIC) 376.10p -2.84%De La Rue (DLAR) 910.50p -2.62%New World Resources A Shares (NWR) 446.90p -2.61%JPMorgan European Smaller Companies Trust (JESC) 732.00p -2.33%