Miners hold FTSE back

Xstrata was the biggest drag on the index with a drop of 4.82% to £21.54, closely followed by Cairn Energy which slipped 4.56% to £18.41, while Antofagasta dropped 4.54% to 457.75p. Rio Tinto was also down 4.13% to £26.69, closely followed by Vedanta Resources which dropped 4.04% to £12.36, although losses were limited by ITV which gained 0.87% to 115.75p. Corus posted the biggest gains with a rise of 4.76% to 495.5p, closely followed by British Energy Group which climbed 1.81% to 477p, while Cadbury Schweppes gained 1.79% to 541.5p, and Prudential added 1.35% to 675.5p. In the US ...