FTSE hides on early Wall Street slide

Aviva led the losses on a poor day for itself and compatriot Standard Life, down 5.43% to 601. Xstrata was able to make some ground back after a sharp morning fall, finishing 5.22% down to 3522, while Tate & Lyle started and closed down, 5.06% lower to 553.50. Sainsbury’s was the best performer following its British Land announcement and a 4.1% Q4 like-for-like sales boost. It ended Wednesday up 6.39% to 358. Despite the poor day for Xstrata, other miners were able to push ahead on strong commodity prices. Kazakhmys topped the sector, up 4.15% to 1606. In New York, weak commerce...