FTSE 100

The Dow shed more than 300 points in yesterday's session as investors questioned re-elected President Barack Obama's commitment to dealing with the US fiscal cliff.

The FTSE 100 is approaching an 16-month high today as investors around the globe welcomed Barack Obama's US election victory.

CONTRARIAN

UK equities have been surprisingly resilient this year, with the FTSE 100 and the FTSE All-Share each posting gains in the face of a raft of macroeconomic uncertainties.

Shares in BG Group have slumped 19% this morning after the oil and gas giant said it does not expect any production growth next year.

Mining stocks and oil giant BP provided a lift for London's FTSE 100 today as a huge storm hit the eastern United States, keeping Wall Street closed for a second day.

BP has raised its dividend by 12.5% to 9c a share, but reported a fall in profits in the third quarter.

Hargreaves Lansdown is topping the list of fallers on the FTSE 100 today after analysts at Citi marked the stock as a 'sell' over RDR fears.

EQUITY INCOME

Investors across Europe and the US are in flight-mode this afternoon, with US markets opening sharply lower as the weak corporate earnings season continues to plague sentiment.