FTSE 100

London's FTSE opened 1.7% down this morning on a poor day for global stocks, following heavy losses in Asia and fresh fears for the Irish economy.

Positive earnings reports from some of the FTSE 100 top players have boosted the index this morning.

The FTSE 100 opened positively in a week set to be dominated by a slew of US economic and political news.

Germany has agreed to give the EU's €440bn (£383bn) bail-out fund permanent status rather than letting it expire in 2013 as planned.

A poor session in Asia this morning and unconvincing display on Wall Street overnight weighed on the FTSE 100 as it opened four points down at 5,673.

The FTSE is down over a percentage point in afternoon trading with better-than-expected growth figures failing to lift investors as concerns over the banking sector weigh on sentiment.

The index of 100 leading shares was down a third of a percent just after opening, as the markets await figures for UK growth.

The FTSE 100 rose 0.9% to 5,791.10 in early morning trading as a weaker US dollar provided support for mining stocks.

UK equity markets and sterling were largely unfazed by today's Spending Review with investors unsuprised by the level of the cuts.

The FTSE 100 had a slow start to the week, down 0.32% or 18.43 points to 5,684.94, following mixed sessions in Asia and the US.