FTSE 100

The FTSE 100 has opened on a positive note this morning after strong performance in the US yesterday.

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

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 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.

Barclays Wealth is reissuing the US and UK versions of its Super Tracker investment strategy for investors predicting an elongated U-shaped recovery.

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