FTSE racks up 50 points

Steelmaker Corus picked up 1.75p to 43.5p, along with heating and plumbing parts wholesaler Wolseley, up 41p to £11.15. Foodservices company Compass Group, meanwhile, shed as much as 13.25p or 5.5% to 222.75p after it announced a 7.8% fall in underlying profit. The firm has also agreed to offload a 75% stake in the North American bakery cafe chain Au Bon Pain. High street retailer Next has also shed 39p to £14.66, after it reported a 6.3% slump in sales over the past 15 weeks. In the US, the Dow Jones continues its meteoric climb on the back of falling oil prices. Crude dropped unde...