nikkei 225

Financials rose this morning, but could not prevent the FTSE falling 0.2%, or 8.8 points to 5475.28.

The FTSE opened marginally higher this morning, rising by 18.7 points, or 0.4%, to 5333.79.

The FTSE opened more than 30 points higher Tuesday thanks in part to an 11% share price jump for builders' supplier Wolseley.

The FTSE was up 27.5 points (0.5%) to 5271.63 points, buoyed by gains among mining firms.

Barclays jumped 8% in early trade after posting bumper annual profits, helping the FTSE to a 1.2% gain.

The FTSE is up 0.71% to 5,198.05 in early trading as it tries to shake off a wobbly performance yesterday as uncertainty about the Greek bail-out plan weighed on European markets.

Financials and British Airways pushed the FTSE slightly higher this morning.

The FTSE 100 opened flat Tuesday after a slump in financial stocks sent the Dow Jones to its first close below 10,000 in three months.

UK insurer Standard Life leads the gains this morning despite reporting a fall in life and pensions sales in 2009.

The FTSE fell in early trading, dragged down by negative market sentiment towards resources firms.