FTSE up 0.6% on QE talk

The FTSE 100 opened positively in a week set to be dominated by a slew of US economic and political news.

In early morning trading, the index had gained 0.6% or 33.78 points to 5,708.94. This week's US agenda includes mid-term elections on Tuesday, while the Federal Reserve is expected to announce the resumption of quantitative easing (QE) on Wednesday. In addition, Friday sees the release of US non-farm payrolls data. Closer to home, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will be making its own announcement on interest rates and QE on Thursday. Risers on the index included Smiths Group, up 1.85% to £12.14, while RBS advanced 1.84% to 45.43p. Meanwhile, Weir Group wa...