Oil fuels FTSE gains

BP, Europe's second-largest oil company, has advanced 5.5p, or 1%, to 584p, while Shell, the region's biggest, has gained 18p, or 1%, to 1,826p. Crude oil for January delivery was little changed at $62.34 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Yesterday, the contract rose $1.47, or 2.4%, to $62.46, the highest close since 29 September. In Japan stocks climbed to the highest in more than two weeks after a central bank report showed interest rates on new loans rose last month. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average added 198.13, or 1.2 percent, to 16,274.3...