Profits rise at BHP but not enough for FTSE

The FTSE 100 index dropped 13.4 points or 0.3% to 4344.4 within the first hour of trading on Wednesday, and the FTSE All-Share index fell 0.3% to 2156.83, after BHP reported fiscall full-year net income of £3.38bn. This is actually around £1bn less than analysts had expected, so the response has been negative and shares are changing hands. BHP Billiton dropped 12p or 2.3% to 512p and its rival Rio Tinto lost 15p or 1.1% to £13.74 on a back position. There has been a little good news, however, as Financial Objects, a UK maker of banking software, jumped 2p or 4.8% to 43.5p as first-...