FTSE stalks two and a half year high

The benchmark is currently about 17 points shy of the landmark 5,000 points mark, led by British Airways, which is up 3.25p to 274p. Land Securities Group as also picked up 16p to 1431p this morning. Dixons leads the drop, however, shedding 3.75p to 161.25p. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined 0.1%to 11,490.43 at its close early this morning, after the yen slipped against the dollar and oil prices also declined. Crude-oil futures for March delivery fell 2.6% to $45.28 a barrel in New York, with Nippon Oil, Japan's biggest oil producer and refiner, losing 0.7% to 713 ye...