FTSE

All eyes may be on gold, copper and other commodities - as well as booming equities - but one particularly liquid asset is being missed by many, according to the London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex).

US INVESTMENT house Merrill Lynch has turned "bearish" on its outlook for UK equities as the FTSE 100 index fell again yesterday reports the Daily Telegraph.

The FTSE 100 was up 28.4 points, 0.5 % to 6,127.6 as utilities are once again making their way up the FTSE 100 leaderboard, with Severn Trent and and Kelda Group both 1.9% higher at £11.97 and 786p respectively.

UK shares fell sending the FTSE down 19.60 points to close at 6,026.20, led by falls across the mining sector.

Share dealings sent the FTSE down 50.60 5,964.60 points to by the close, led by ITV, which saw its price drop 5.75p to 119.25p after venture capital groups Apax and Blackstone abandoned their attempts to buy the television company.

The FTSE 100 index has fallen 12.5 points, or 0.2%, to 6023.8 in early trading led by BP and Royal Dutch Shell, as oil prices head for the first decline in a week.

The FTSE 100 has broken through the 6,000 level for the first time in five years.

The FTSE 100 Index climbed 28.1 points, or 0.4%, to 5993.2 led by Corus Group after the steelmaker agreed to sell most of its aluminum unit and reported better-than-expected profit. Royal Sun Alliance Insurance Group also surged on takeover speculation....

The FTSE 100 Index has gained 19.6 points, or 0.3%, to 5970.2 in morning trading so far, led by BP and Smith & Nephew. Shares of Hanson have also surged.

Investors paused today, sending the FTSE 100 down by 2.20 points to 5,950.60 by the close, despite pushing the index to near 5,980 in morning trading.