FTSE and Dow Jones plough on

The benchmark index is boosted by steel maker Corus, up 1.5p to 57p. Vodafone and Cairn Energy are also trading well picking up 3p to 138.75p and 24p to 1157p respectively. BSkyB, meanwhile, has come back down to earth shedding 10p to 565p, after a good set of results earlier in the week. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 0.2% to 11,389.35, led by financial stocks after a report that Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group could cut its full-year earnings. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial dropped 2.8% to 698,000 yen. The bank may set aside an additional $1.93bn to write off bad loans, a ...