FTSE 100

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.

I spend much of my time scrutinising the post-modern equivalent of tea leaves - value-based fundamental measures of the aggregate market alongside technical and liquidity-driven metrics.

As information moves faster, and advisers and product providers identify market trends more quickly, investors have to be quick to catch the nano-second before an exciting opportunity and considered strategy becomes a bubble.

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

Mining stocks led the FTSE 100 up 25.69 points (0.45%) to 5,736.35 in early trading after the weaker dollar boosted gold prices.

Telecoms groups and miners including Rio Tinto helped the FTSE 100 off to a good start, up 16.37 (0.29%) to 5,719.39.

Hargreave Hale plans to use rules that governed the VCT sector prior to April 2006 when making new qualifying investments for its two AIM VCTs.

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 100 opened higher Tuesday, tracking strength overnight on Wall Street, as Legal & General (L&G) beat profit forecasts and lifted its final dividend payout by a third.

FTSE 100 dividend payouts are expected to rise 18% this year, as profitability recovers from the crisis.