A&L results fail to lift FTSE

Alliance & Leicester posted the biggest gains with a rise of 7.79% to £11.49, after its results revealed a healthy rise in profit and an increase in mortgage and unsecured lending. Meanwhile Amvescap climbed 1.73% to 646.5p, closely followed by insurer Old Mutual which gained 1.1% to 183.75p, while Imperial Tobacco Group added 1.85% to £22, and Shire advanced 0.9% to £11.25. However miners wiped out the gains with Anglo American leading the decline with a fall of 2.54% to £25.36, closely followed by Antofagasta which slipped 1.87% to 473p, while Vodafone dropped 2.33% to 147p, and Gla...