Punch Taverns lift FTSE spirits

Punch Taverns is posting the biggest gains with a rise of 2.46% to £13.77, closely followed by Johnson Matthey 2.03% to £16.59, while Home Retail has added 1.96% to 481p, and Schroders has advanced 1.59% to £14.06. Schroders NV Non-VTG is also up 1.57% to £12.30, although gains are being limited by Persimmon which is down 0.81% to 313.55, while Shire has started the day down 0.76% to £11.78. Banks are also performing poorly, with Standard Chartered down 0.53% to £17.01, closely followed by Alliance & Leicester which has slipped 0.34% to £11.81, while British American Tobacco is down 0.6...