Another set of better than expected US economic figures has pushed Wall Street above 13,000 for the second time this week.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer confidence index rose to 75.3 in February from 72.5 the previous month, higher than the 73 level predicted by analysts.
New home sales fell 0.9% to 321,000 in January, but that was higher than forecasts of 315,000. December's figure was revised upwards from 307,00 to 324,000.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now up nearly 17 points at 13001, while the FTSE 100 is now barely changed at 5937 after its earlier falls.
