Financials lift FTSE higher

Hedge fund Man Group is posting the biggest gains so far with a rise of 13.25p, or 2.8% to 486.5p, closely followed by rival investment firm Amvescap which has climbed 11p, or 1.77% to 633p. Severn Trent is also performing well with a rise of 2.1% to £15.10, closely followed by miners Vedanta Resources which is up 2.05% to £13.47, while Rio Tinto has climbed 1.9% to £26.24. On the down side, steelmaker Corus is the biggest drag on the index so far with a drop of 2.77% to 464.75p, closely followed by Tate & Lyle which is down 1.23% to 764p, while Drax group has slipped 1.2% to 782.5p a...