The FTSE 100 Index gained 1% to 6,024.30 points today as Wall Street surged at the start of trade and miners hogged the top spots.
BHP Billiton led the risers after it completed a larger than expected share buyback, with shares gaining 6.37% to 1,118.50p. Rio Tinto added 4.48% to 3,053p, Xstrata rose 3.86% to 1,935p and Antofagasta gained 2.34% to 2,187p in sympathy. Oil and gas explorer BG Group gave a bullish assessment of its operations today as the company said it traded ahead of expectations in the first quarter. Merrill Lynch said “buy” following the update. BG's shares rose 1.25% to 728.50p. A rise in oil prices lifted BP up 2.04% to 674.50p and Shell gained 1.18% to 1,894p. Standard Chartered also p...
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