It was very much a case of the day after the night before as a rather jaded market tried to continue Thursday's strong advance that followed the US Federal Reserve's lifting of interest rates.
Wall Street's surge through its previous closing peak of 11,107, which came in the last few minutes of the session in London, was the only thing that managed to save Footsie from finishing on a sour note after a session that many dealers simply described as "tired".
Many dealers were surprised at the strength of the market in New York, as they had expected a dull session as traders and analysts left the city early for the long Independence Day weekend.
The FTSE 100 eventually closed three points up at 6,491.9, but with Wall Street closed on Monday and little prospect of a shift in British interest following the meeting of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, strategists expect little movement among the leading stocks.
However, the malaise was limited to the Footsie, for healthy interest in the second-liners saw the FTSE 250 close 37.7 up at 5935.1. Turnover was 1.05 billion shares by the 6 p.m. count.
