Economics / Markets

Head start: The twists and turns in Japan's economy have made stock picking difficult. But there are still investment opportunities to be had. Jo Tura finds out where they are...

The FTSE 100 has ended the day up 53.3 points, or 0.82%, to 6,537.8, as strong results news pushed the index through the 6,500 barrier.

In early trading the FTSE 100 is up 39.4 points, or 0.61%, to 6,523.9, with Prudential leading the gains.

A metal producer helped push the FTSE 100 towards a promising end-of-day total, the index finishing up 65.5 points, or 1.02%, to finish on 6485.1.

The FTSE 100 is up 54.9 points, or 0.86%, to 6,474.5 in early trading, as miners and property stocks push the index higher.

The FTSE 100 has ended the day down 29.6 points, or 0.46%, to 6,419.6, as the index failed to build on gains by media and communication stocks.

The FTSE 100 is down 35.8 points, or 0.56%, to 6,413.4, despite a rally by property companies on the back of the sale of HSBC's building in Canary Wharf.

The FTSE 100 has ended the session up 30.5 points, or 0.48%, to 6,449.2, as positive broker comment, healthy gains among the miners and an early recovery in the US pushed the index higher.

The FTSE 100 is up 43.8 points, or 0.68%, to 6,462.5, as Cable & Wireless pushes the index higher on news it might be broken up and sold to private equity firms.

The FTSE 100 has ended the session down 50.7 points, or 0.78%, to 6,418.7, as miners continued to struggle after copper and gold prices fell heavily overnight.