FTSE 100 closes ahead but US stocks plunge amid release of April inflation data Britain's blue chip index closed more than 56 points higher, or 0.82% up, at 7,004 with oil giants among the top winners FTSE 100 closes ahead UK GDP growth beats forecasts 5.03pm: FTSE closes ahead FTSE 100 closed convincingly in the green on Wednesday but midcap FTSE 250 fared less well, while US stocks plunged amid the release of inflation numbers. Britain's blue chip index closed more than 56 points higher, or 0.82% up, at 7,004, with oil giants among the top winners as crude prices firmed. FTSE 250, though, dropped 59 points, or 0.27%, at 22,107. The US Consumer Price Index rise in April this year, at 4.2%, compared to a year earlier, was the sharpest since September, 2008. Economists had expected a jump of 3.6%.