Equity markets

UK blue chips made a strong start on Tuesday despite weakness in the US overnight and a mixed performance in Asia.

The FTSE 100 rose 1% to 5,871.5 points by 1.45pm today, propelled by the mining sector.

The FTSE ignored large gains on Wall Street overnight, falling 0.35% to 5,748.45 in early trading.

Leigh Harrison and Simon Brazier, the co-heads of UK equities at Threadneedle, have turned positive on the UK stock market despite forecasting GDP growth less than consensus expectations.

America's largest stock markets reported very light trading volumes on Monday as a flurry of M&A did little to reassure investors of the strength of the global recovery.

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