The year has ended with a whimper for the stock market, with the FTSE 100 index down 20 points at 6456.9 when it closed at lunchtime today.
Still, that is a 3.8% gain on the year. This is the worst performance from the leading index since 2002 but in the context of the credit crunch, a leading UK bank almost going bust and an oil price trying hard to reach $100 a barrel, it's a pretty resilient outcome.
Part of the reason for the gain in the last 12 months is the mining sector, which has been lifted by rising commodity prices and a host of takeover speculation. Today investors decided to lock in some of their profits, so Rio Tinto edged down 53p to £53.17, predator BHP Billiton slipped 15p to £15.46 and Xstrata - widely believed to be the next miner to be involved in the sector's consolidation - 43p lower at £35.50.
Wall Street futures are indicating an opening rise, but all eyes will be on the existing home sales figures from the US, due this afternoon. On Friday came news of weaker than expected new home sales, and a similar downturn today could unsettle the US market.
Elsewhere, computer game retailer Game jumped nearly 8% after it said strong Christmas sales meant its full year profit would be ahead of forecasts. But lender London Scottish Bank slumped 18% on news it was taking a £22m hit on its unsecured consumer credit business.
