At the close of business, the FTSE100 was up 19.54 points at 5,895.47 with the FTSE250 ahead 72.69 points at 11,234.57 and the FTSE Smallcaps 38.39 points higher at 3,063.15.
LONDON MARKETS FEB 9 2012
Investors in London were busy today, absorbing a flurry of blue chip earnings news. The Bank of England elected to keep UK interest rates on hold but, as widely anticipated, increased QE by £50bn.
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said its estimate of UK GDP shows the economy shrank 0.2% in the three month period to January.
News in the afternoon session that ECB President Mario Draghi confirmed reports that Greece has agreed on a package of austerity measures to stave off a March default had little impact.
A revival in crude prices helped boost the oil producers, with BG Group up 45.5p at 1,491.5p after reporting full-year operating profits rose by 19% to $8.2bn in 2011. Tullow Oil jumped 31p at 1,514p, while BP added 3.65p at 493.4p and Cairn Energy gained 4.6p at 353.2p. Shell bucked the trend, easing 1.5p at 2,325.5p.
Mobile phone giant Vodafone ticked up 0.9p at 174.5p after a mixed trading update, highlighting weakness in southern Europe.
Drinks giant Diageo added 6.5p at 1,468p, after reporting that growth in emerging markets was offsetting weakness in Europe and North America.
Retailers suffered mixed fortunes, with luxury brand Burberry gaining 10p at 1,413p and Marks & Spencer adding 4.8p at 350.4p the best of them. Supermarket groups had a tough time, with Tesco down 4.9p at 324.5p, Morrisons off 1p at 290.6p and Sainsbury 2.35p lower at 292.2p.
Mining shares were also mixed, with Rio Tinto sliding 58.5p at 3,815p after revealing that record underlying earnings in 2011 were blighted by a $5.8bn impairment charge relating to its aluminium business. Elsewhere, Xstrata added 8.5p at 1,206.5p and Antofagasta gained 21p at 1,347p.
On the downside, banks turned lower after the news from Greece, with Lloyds off 0.19p at 35.59p, Barclays down 0.5p at 233.1p, ahead of final results tomorrow, and Royal Bank of Scotland eased 0.03p at 28.81p.
Aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce fell 15p at 770p, despite reporting a record order book of £62.2bn in 2011, with record underlying profit before tax of £1.16bn, up 21%.
Sugar refiner Tate & Lyle weakened 22.5p at 672.5p after a mixed performance in Q3, with rising corn prices causing concern.
Commercial property group British Land slipped 11p at 497p after reporting that pretax profits rose by 6.3% to £68m, while admitting the current economic outlook is uncertain. For the latest updates on the stock market, visit Stock Market Today For the latest updates PRESS CTR + D or visit Stock Market news Today
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