Dow Jones

In London, Friends Provident shares surged this morning as Resolution expressed interest in buying the company.

The Dow Jones slipped in early trading as worries increased over earnings and the state of the US economy.

The FTSE 100 dipped closer to the 4,000 mark this morning, with miners again dragging the index down.

The Dow Jones has risen 23.84 points (0.58%) to 8183.40 after the US aluminium giant Alcoa revealed better than expected results.

In London, markets climbed in early trade as insurers recovered from major losses on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones has risen 35.52 points (0.44%) to 8199.12 as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted worldwide economic growth will recover to 2.5% in 2010.

The FTSE 100 slipped in early trading on Wednesday after a rocky day on Wall Street saw the Dow Jones shed triple-digit losses.

The Dow Jones has plummeted 77.61 points (0.93%) to 8,247.26 as investors remain jittery about the economy and anticipate a shaky earnings season.

The Dow Jones has fallen significantly from opening, despite a rare piece of positive economic news.

The FTSE plummeted over 1% in early trading, dropping to 4,187 points by 8.43 this morning.