Profit increase for Barclays lifts FTSE

Barclays rose 11.75p to 481.75p after it reported net income increased 24% to £1.72bn. Anglo American, one of the world’s biggest mining companies, jumped 20p to 1,206p. Reed Elsevier advanced 10.5p to 486.5p. The scientific publisher said its net income increased 14% to £111m as the company slashed costs. Sage Group Plc, Britain's biggest maker of accounting software, added 3.25p to 167p after analysts at Merrill Lynch & Co. upgraded their recommendation on the stock to “buy” from “neutral”. In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 50.87 points to 11,060.89 earlier today, and H...