FTSE rallies to claw back losses

The FTSE 100 Index has clawed back early session losses as it shrugged off concerns over high street Christmas trading and lower commodity prices.

Upbeat economic data in the US failed to cheer investors on Wall Street, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved 0.2% lower.

But the mood was more buoyant in London, where the Footsie added 12.8 points to 6026.3 after spending most of the day in the red.

B&Q owner Kingfisher and Primark parent Associated British Foods were among retailers on the back foot after Next said pre-Christmas snow cost it £22 million and music chain HMV reported a 13.6% drop in like-for-like sales in the UK and Ireland.

But Next itself and Marks & Spencer stayed afloat, adding 84p to 2099p and 1p to 374.8p respectively.

Miners continued to weigh on the top tier as metal prices declined, with Antofagasta down 42p at 1580p and Anglo American off 70p at 3337p.

Trading in the US was poor despite a report from payroll processor ADP which revealed private companies added 297,000 jobs last month.

The focus in London was largely on the retail sector as Christmas trading statements came thick and fast.

Next and HMV sparked fears over trading among some blue chip stocks, with Kingfisher down 2p to 265p and AB Foods off 16p to 1148p. Fashion firm Burberry also declined, off 23p to 1119p.

But it was not all gloom as high street bellwether John Lewis reported resilient trading, with like-for-like sales up 7.6% in the five weeks to January 1.