FTSE starts slowly

The ordinary shares of the telephone incumbent have shed 6p to 223.50p, while water firm, Kelda Group has declined 18p to 685p. On the winning end, mining stocks including Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have increased, up 34p to 1949p and 13p to 823p respectively. Antofagasta and Xstrata have also moved 18p and 15p higher to 1364p and 1228p. In Tokyo the Nikkei 225 Stock Average reached a 15-month high, adding a further 0.4% to 11,981.80 at its close early this morning, paced by motor vehicle stocks. Toyota picked up 0.7% to 4,280 yen despite posting a second quarterly profit decline, o...