A positive start on Wall Street has put some life into London shares again.
The January employment survey from payroll services group ADP showed private sector job losses slowed slightly from December, and this has outweighed concerns about US government borrowing and disappointing results from Disney and Kraft.
So with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up around 40 points in the first half hour of trading, the FTSE 100 has moved 75.03 points higher to 4239.49.
Miners and banks are still in positive territory, while investors decided to cash in on defensive stocks such as Imperial Tobacco, down 30p at £18.45, British American Tobacco, 28p lower at £18.86, and Cadbury, off 11p at 540p.
Among the mid-caps, department store group Debenhams dipped 0.75p to 32.25p on news that Iceland group Baugur - which owns a stake in the group - had applied for bankruptcy protection. Another Baugur investment, French Connection, fell 2p to 40.75p.
Transport group Wincanton has slipped 1p to 150.75p after it warned profits would be at the lower end of expectations. But power protection company Chloride climbed 16.75p to 150.25p after a reassuring third quarter trading update.
