Positive sentiment on BP lifts FTSE

Dudley, who becomes chief executive of the oil company today, says the board would meet soon to discuss restoring payouts next year, according to reports. The blue chip index opened up 0.8% or 44 points at 5,592, with Carphone Warehouse leading the winners, rising 5.53%. BG Group, Spectris, Shaftesbury and Logica were also among the leading stocks, rising between 2.5% and 5% each. Spectris, the mid-cap instrumentation and controls company, has bought American maker of rugged industrial networking components N-TRON for $51m (£32m). Among the largest fallers was drugs group Hikma Pha...