FTSE wavers over market uncertainty

Northern Rock shares jumped 14.2 points, or 7.31%, to 208.5p, followed by BHP Billiton, which gained 50 points, or 3.02%, to £17.06. Xstrata shares added 81 points, or 2.58%, to £32.25, Shire Ordinance gained 27 points, or 2.29%, to £12.04, while Marks & Spencer climbed 11 points, or 1.94%, to 578p. Wolseley shares dropped 40.5 points, or 4.77%, to 808p, Alliance & Leicester shares lost 23 points, or 3.12%, to 714p and Barratt shares fell 15 points, or 1.91%, to 771p. On Wall Street, shares climbed on Friday after several firms announced strong resultsand the Dow Jones was up 53.49, o...