Shares edge higher ahead of Autumn Statement

UK stocks crept higher ahead of today's Autumn Statement, with the FTSE 100 nearing 5,900 points as miners lifted the market.

The UK's leading index was up 15 points at 5,884 by mid-morning, with cyclical stocks such as Kazakhmys and Vedanta rising over 4%. Traders are buying assets ahead of the statement from Chancellor George Osborne, due at 12.30pm. Overnight, markets had also closed higher, helping to keep sentiment positive. The Hong Kong Hang Seng index closed over 2% up at 22,270 points, while the Japanese Nikkei rose 0.4% to 9,468 points. Meanwhile the pound was flat at $1.61, while the yield on the benchmark 10-year gilt was at 1.81%.