An embarrassing computer failure at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) left City traders unable to cash in on a worldwide stock market boom for much of Monday.
A US government bail-out of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac triggered early morning gains for the FTSE 100 Index - until links between traders and the exchange were severed from just before 9am.
The LSE managed to restart normal trading in London at 4pm, with the Footsie easing back slightly following the morning's 3.8% rise. It is the longest market stoppage since April 2000.
The market's resumption came well after the opening of Wall Street, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 2% as investors welcomed the removal of uncertainty following the mortgage intervention.
