Miners push FTSE to six-month high

Miners also performed well with Rio Tinto posting the biggest gains with a rise of 3.5% to £26.65, closely followed by Vedanta Resources which climbed 3.18% to £13.62, while Anglo American added 2.69% to £23.69. However Standard Life gained 3.24% to 278.5p, while British Airways climbed 2.92% to 449p, although the gains, which caused the FTSE to hit a six month high, were limited by Brambles Industries which slipped 1.07% to 485p. Energy stocks also suffered with Cairn Energy the biggest drag on the index with a drop of 2.81% to £18.35, closely followed by Drax which slipped 2.53% to 77...