Mining firms keep FTSE down

Antofagasta has declined 22p to £12.86, while Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are down 26p to £17.73 and 10.50p to 743.50p respectively. Man Group leads on the other end of the table, up 12p to £14.32. In Japan the Nikkei 225 Stock Average dropped 0.3% to 11,841.97 at its close early this morning, following concern over the affect that an accelerated increase US interest rates will have on its economy. Kyocera, which posts more than half of its sales overseas, shed 1.6% to 7,570 yen, while TDK, which also profits abroad, fell 1.5%, to 7,370 yen. Similarly, Honda declined 1.3% to 5,300 y...