FTSE

A decent start on Wall Street following a better than expected read on consumer confidence helped London break out of a tight range mid afternoon to trade near its highs by the close with the FTSE closing up 1.3% to 5873.6.

The FTSE 100 index ended down 24.8 points, or 0.4%, to 5798.3 as stocks declined paced by BP, BHP Billiton and Anglo American on falls in both oil and metal prices.

In the UK stocks have fallen in early trading, led by BP and Royal Dutch Shell as oil trades near a six-month low, the FTSE 100 Index slipping 6.4 points, or 0.1%, to 5859.8 so far.

PRIVATE investors reacted to the recent lurch in the stock market by dumping an estimated net £6 billion of British shares, a significant intensification of their withdrawal from equities this year, reports the Times .

The FTSE 100 has risen 39.8 points, or 0.7%, to 5817.8 led by Capita Group after the company reported a first-half profit that exceeded analysts' estimates.

The FTSE 100 Index gained 35.1, or 0.6%, to 5716.80 this morning led by Centrica and International Power.

The FTSE 100 finished firmly in the red, closing down 0.67% at 5,857.30 points as a difficult start on Wall Street added to the earlier poor performance in London.

The FTSE 100 index has taken a tumble this morning, led by Alliance & Leicester after France's Credit Agricole dropped a plan to bid for the bank.

The FTSE has gained 46 points, or 0.8%, to 5837.50 so far this morning helped by an indication from the US Federal Reserve that the run of interest-rate increases in the world's biggest economy may be nearing an end.

The FTSE 100 Index has added 59.90 points, or 1.1%, to 5724.90 this morning, as all but six of its 102 stocks has shown rises.