Standard Chartered gives FTSE a boost

Standard Chartered, the bank which makes two-thirds of its profit in Asia, has risen 8p, or 0.6%, to £13.18. Vedanta, India's largest producer of copper and zinc, has added 22p, or 1.8%, to £12.79. Property stocks are in demand with Hammerson up 1.21% at £12.50 and British Land up 0.81% at £13.62. On the downside, BP has fallen 1.12% to 615.5p as concerns over the shutdown of its Prudhoe oil field continue to unnerve investors. Friends Provident has declined 0.28% to 180.5p after it announced a slight decline in underlying profit for the first half despite strong growth at its UK ar...