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Rallying miners, banks lift FTSE 1.4 pct

Wed Nov 4, 2009 10:22pm IST
 
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* Miners, banks rebound from losses in previous session

* Retailers up; M&S, Next post forecast-beating figures

* U.S. Federal Reserve decision eyed at 1915 GMT

By Jon Hopkins

LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Britain's leading shares ended 1.4 percent higher on Wednesday boosted by a rebound from miners and banks, with retailers Next NXY.L and Marks & Spencer (MKS.L: Quote, Profile, Research) also higher after posting forecast-beating figures.

At the close, the FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 70.68 points at 5,107.89, recouping all of Tuesday's losses when the index fell 1.3 percent to its lowest closing level in a month.

"Tuesday's fall looked to have been overdone, and shares have bounced back but confidence remains fragile ahead of tonight's news from the Fed and the BoE's pronouncements tomorrow," said Mic Mills, senior trader at ETX Capital.

A rebound by mining stocks added the most weight to the blue chip rally, reflecting a rise in metal prices on the back of a weaker dollar ahead of the Federal Reserve's statement on interest rates and the economy, due at 1915 GMT.  Continued...

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