FTSE shines as metal prices rise

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The FTSE 100 has ended the session up 132.5 points, or 2.21%, to 6,133.2 as takeover news and strong metal prices helped the index recover from yesterday's losses.

Imperial Tobacco Group posted the biggest gains with a rise of 8.55% to £22.22, as it finally launched a cash bid for its Franco-Spanish rival Altadis, while hedge fund manager Man Group advanced 6.9% to 526.5p. Miners performed well with Antofagasta climbing 6.14% to 475.5p, closely followed by BHP Billiton which advanced 6.01% to £10.49 as metal prices increased, while Unilever added 5.85% to £14.84. In addition the FTSE 100 ended the day with no losing stocks. In the US the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 26.68 points, or 0.22%, to 12,160.08, as investors seem to have shrugged of...

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