Brewer causes flat start to FTSE

Detica Group is posting the biggest gains with a rise of 1.89% to 378p, closely followed by mining stocks with Xstrata up 1.4% to £27.50, while BHP Billiton has gained 1.34% to £12.14. Punch Taverns has advanced 1.23% to £13.95, while Northern Rock has climbed 1.19% to £11.03, although gains are being offset by brewer Scottish & Newcastle which is leading the fallers with a drop of 1.4% to 633.5p. Royal & Sun Alliance is also down 1.1% to 170.2p, closely followed by Intercontinental Hotels which has slipped 1.1% to £13.48, while Reed Elsevier has fallen 1.09% to 679p, and BSkyB has de...