Pearson pushes UK stocks higher

Publishing group Pearson, owner of the Financial Times, led the way after a trading update that beat expectations. It surged 9% to 55 pence, pushing the FTSE 100 index up 0.01% to 4,577. Financial and mining stocks also fared well. Lloyds Banking Group added 4%, while Royal Bank of Scotland was up 2.5%. Anglo-African platinum producer Lonmin, which owns mines in South Africa, gained 3.4% after rival Anglo Platinum forecast that the price of the precious metal would rise by the end of the year. Early in Japan, the Nikkei 225 index closed up 144 points, or 1.45% to 10,088.66. ...