The FTSE 100 index has started the new month well and stocks are currently up after Friends Provident reported strong sales data and the oil price held above $50 a barrel.
Shares in all the major UK insurers are up this morning after Friends Provident reported a 41% jump in first-quarter sales to £129.3m. As a result, its share price gained 4p or 2.5% to 164.5p, while Legal & General has added 1.25p or 1.2% to 105.5p. BP, now Europe's largest oil producer, is also up 8.5p or 1.6% to 542.5 and Shell has earned 4.5p or 1%, to 474p on the back of that improved oil price. In contrast, Asian and Australasian mining stocks have dragged some of the major indices down again as the price of metals dropped and there are fresh concerns about the impact of US int...
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