Dow Jones

The FTSE 100 has opened 0.06% or 3.24 points lower to 5,774 in early trading as rises in retail stocks were offset by falling mining shares.

The FTSE climbed 0.9%, or 49 points this morning, boosted by British Airways and mining stocks.

The FTSE traded 56 points, or 1%, lower this morning at 5705.49 after a downbeat assessment of the US recovery from former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.

Broker downgrades and companies going ex-dividend pulled the FTSE index 25 points, or 0.4% lower this morning.

The FTSE 100 was marginally up in early trading, by 0.06% or 3.41 points to 5,748, only a few hours before the Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to call a General Election for 6 May.

The FTSE was up in early morning trading at 5717.92, rising 38.28 points (0.67%).

The FTSE rose by 0.3%, or 14 points, to 5686.32 this morning, buoyed by fighting talk from British Sky Broadcasting.

The FTSE 100 index fell by 0.4% on Friday, the first time it declined in four days. The benchmark index ended the day at 5703.02 points, off by 24.63 points.

The FTSE was at 5708.41 in early trading, down 19.24 points or 0.34%, as investors reacted with caution to a eurozone bail-out plan for Greece.

ETF Securities (ETFS) has listed a fund tracking commodity three month forward contracts on the London Stock Exchange.