FTSE fight back heats up after Asia rebound

The FTSE 100 was up sharply mid-morning after a strong session in Asia saw markets claw back much of the losses seen in recent days.

The UK blue chip index was up nearly 2% or 100 points at 5,257, with a host of shares including banks and miners all powering the index higher. Risers in the FTSE included Lloyds Banking Group, which rose by 4.7% to 32.2p, and RBS, up 3.3% to 21.9p. Other top performers included Essar Energy, up 5.15% to 253.4p, and Tullow Oil, up 4.5% to 1,135p. Meanwhile in Europe France's Cac 40 was up 3% to 3,053 and the German Dax rose 3.1% to 5,354 as a German court ruling rejected challenges to its participation in bailout packages for Greece and other eurozone countries, boosting investor sent...