FTSE 100 hits 1week high
Real estate, personal goods drive gains
Recruiter Hays falls on tough climate for hiring
Liontrust soars after takeover offer for GAM fails
FTSE 100 up 0.4, FTSE 250 adds 0.7

Aug 24 Reuters UK39;s FTSE 100 hit a oneweek high on Thursday, driven by ratesensitive real estate and personal goods shares as investors dialled back bets of interest rates remaining higher for longer.

The exporterheavy FTSE 100 index was up 0.4 by 0826 GMT, while the domesticallyfocussed FTSE 250 index climbed 0.7. The midcap index was near a oneweek high.

Real estate investment trusts and real estate stocks climbed 1.2 each.

Chemicals stocks advanced 1.5, leading sectoral gains.

Personal goods shares climbed 1.2.

The Bank of England BoE is now marginally predicted to make only one more increase to the Bank Rate, taking it to 5.50 on Sept. 21, though a significant minority of economists polled by Reuters still expect rates to go even higher this year.

In the FTSE 100, there is relief that the expectation of how high interest rates will go have been dialled back, said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.

We have more indications coming out today that employers are becoming more reluctant and cautious about hiring staff and we have had results out from Hays indicating that.

British recruiter Hays warned net fees in the firsthalf ending December would decline as the permanent hiring sector remained tough, with employers taking…