Nikkei hits four-year high as FTSE creeps towards 5,500

The blue chips index is creeping closer towards the 5,500 mark but has so far this morning only risen just one point to 5,496.1, helped in part by BHP Billiton too. 3i Group is up 17 points or 2.19% to 792p, counterbalancing losses for Boots of 14.5p or 2.31% to 614.5p, while BHP Billiton has earned 13.5p or 1.49% to 922p.Mobile operator O2 is also up 3.75p or 2.39% to 160.75p. In Asia, the Japanese indices closed at their highest level in almost 4 ½ years thanks again to mining and commodity suppliers. BHP Billiton and Nippon Steel had the best gains of the day, as metal prices im...