FTSE moving away from 4,800 mark

Insurer Friends Provident and mortgage lender Northern Rock lead with respective gains of 2.75p to 161.50p and 12p to 779.50p. Mobile phone companies, MMO2 and Vodafone are also up 1.75p apiece to 127.75p and 139p. Imperial Tobacco group meanwhile, has shed 39p to 1,411p, while high street chemist Boots, has lost 16p to 643.50p, after its third quarter earnings were at the bottom end of analyst estimates. In the US, the Dow Jones marched 70.79 points higher to 10628.79 points at its close late last night, boosted by good profit earnings reports from major computer brands. Both IBM ...