Solid close for FTSE after a poor week

The Benchmark is boosted by Prudential, adding 23.50p or 5% to its ahare price at 501p, after the insurer sacked chief executive Jonathan Bloomer replacing him with HBOS finance director, Mark Tucker. Bloomers tenure had seen the company lose 50% in stock turning to shareholders for a £1bn stock offering in November. Mining stocks in the form of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto dropped 17p to 709p and 41p to £17.11 respectively, after lower metal prices raised concerns that earnings growth in the industry may slow. In the US the Dow Jones has started well adding about 32 points to 10488.45...