FTSE circles 6000 barrier
The FTSE 100 Index circled around the 6000 barrier today as investors took courage from another strong session in New York.
London’s leading shares briefly broke through the landmark as miners benefited most from the latest burst of optimism.
By mid-morning the Footsie had eased back slightly to stand 9.1 points higher at 5980.4.
The positive sentiment was spurred by last night’s session on Wall Street where the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly set a new record before closing 30 points higher.
Back in the City, miners added weight to the market with Antofagasta rising 9.25p to 465p, Anglo American added 25p to 2293p, Xstrata cheered 24p to 2231p.
Logistics group Brambles was amongst the front-runners yesterday following bid speculation. But 24 hours later it topped the fallers board – down 8p at 480p - as an analyst pointed out no potential buyers had been mentioned.
Most of the corporate action came outside the top flight, with Britvic and Emap moving in opposite directions after contrasting updates.
Britvic benefited as it said profits would be towards the top end of market expectations, helped by a summertime surge in sales of still drinks. Shares rose 14p to 234p, a gain of 6% as investors returned to the stock after profits warnings earlier this year.
Emap fell 2% as it warned that trading continued to be tough with half-year underlying revenues off 2%. Shares were down 18.5p at 745.5p.
Elsewhere, Durex-to-Scholl company SSL International rose 5% – up 16p to 353p - as traders continued to speculate about a possible takeover approach.
Meanwhile, photographic retailer Jessops reported a 1.2% fall in like-for-like sales as it was hit by a surprise softening in its market over the last two months. The stock suffered as well, falling almost 7% – or 9.5p – to 129p.
