Analyst upgrades to price predictions for coal and iron ore output due for delivery next year along with higher spot oil prices helped the FTSE rise 12.10 points to 4,393.20 by the close.
Xstrata, the coal miner, added 24p to 749p. BP gained 10p to 497p, and Shell added 5p to 403.5p. Marks & Spencer closed up 4.25p at 368p after bidder Philip Green said he had support from 9.7% of shareholders for access to business data required for due diligence on the UK’s largest clothes retailer. Reckitt Benckiser, the biggest supplier of household cleaning products, fell 37p to 1,512p after analysts expressed concerns on its earnings outlook after European supermarkets reported falling sales. AstraZenica fell 49p to 2,366p on news the UK health service will pay lower prices...
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