Miners give FTSE early boost

Xstrata is currently posting the biggest gains with a rise of 3.49% to £24.60, closely followed by Rio Tinto which is up 2.08% to £28.41, while British Energy Group is also off to a good start with a rise of 2% to 510p. Banking group HBOS is also up 2.03% to £11.06 after announcing it is expecting to exceed market expectations for underlying earnings per share, while British Airways has also gained 1.72% to 518.75p. On the downside Drax is the biggest drag on the index with a fall of 2.51% to 797.5p after a broker downgrade, closely followed by Cairn Energy which has slipped 1.47% to £2...