THE London market swung back into positive territory on Friday as mining stocks pushed ahead and investor jitters eased over calls for the US president to be forced out of office.

The FTSE 100 Index closed up 34.29 points to 7,470.71 thanks to a strong performance from the mining giants, with Anglo American rising 26p to 1,093p and Rio Tinto lifting 66p to 3,167.5p.

It comes after the top-flight dropped back from record heights on Thursday after global markets were rocked by calls for Donald Trump's impeachment, amid claims he had tried to obstruct an FBI investigation into his campaign's links with Russia.

Across Europe, Germany's Dax was 0.4 per cent ahead and the Cac 40 in France rose by 0.6 per cent.

On the currency markets, the pound rose 0.6 per cent against the US dollar to 1.302 in response to better-than-expected UK manufacturing data.

Factory orders jumped to their highest level in more than two years despite concerns that the UK economy is slowing, a report found.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Industrial Trends Survey said total order books beat expectations to plus nine per cent in May, up from plus four per cent in April, its biggest rise since February 2015.

Output growth recorded its fastest rise since December 2013 at plus 28 per cent, while exports orders equalled a four-year high last seen in March at plus 10 per cent.

However, the pound struggled to make gains versus the euro, dropping 0.2 per cent at 1.163.

The price of oil climbed 2.1 per cent to $53.59 a barrel amid rising hopes that Opec members will agree to extend output cuts to help reduce the global glut.

In UK stocks, shares in Hikma Pharmaceuticals rose despite the drugs giant cutting its revenue target in the face of price pressures and product delays.

The FTSE 100 firm said group revenues for 2017 were expected to hit between $2 billion (£1.5bn) and $2.1bn (£1.6bn) after previously forecasting a figure of $2.2bn (£1.7bn) in March.

The firm said products had seen "increased price erosion" and it was no longer likely to launch a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's asthma drug - Advair Diskus - this year.

Shares rebounded during the session to rise by 36p to 1,736p.

Elsewhere, credit checking agency Experian and chemicals company Johnson Matthey were down 29p to 1,631p and 35p to 3,045p respectively following broker downgrades.

Away from the top tier, online takeaway ordering firm Just Eat was ahead despite facing a full-blown investigation into its takeover of rival Hungryhouse.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its initial probe into the acquisition - worth up to £240 million - found the two firms were close competitors because of the service they offer and their reach across the UK.

Shares were up 15.5p to 607.5p.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 Index were Micro Focus International up 64p to 2,472p, Anglo American up 26p to 1,093p, Smurfit Kappa up 48p to 2,147p, Rio Tinto up 66p to 3,167.5p

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 Index were Smiths Group down 45p to 1,584p, Land Securities down 23p to 1,069p, Experian down 29p to 1,631p and British Land Company down 9.5p to 629p.