Markets: Greek hopes bolster FTSE 100
17:00 - The FTSE 100 (UKX) ended a fairly steady day with comfortable gains, as investors got a boost from optimism over the Greek debt crisis and a strong showing from across the Atlantic.
London's benchmark share index closed 44 points to the good at 5766, with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) leading a broadly buoyant banking sector higher.
Miners were also on good form, Vedanta Resources (VED) the sector's leading light, while Tate and Lyle (TATE) shook off a late charge by BT Group (BT.A) to clinch the day's wooden spoon.
At a glance...
Commodities
Gold: $1,502.34
WTI crude oil: $91.54
Currencies
GBP/USD: 1.6016
GBP/EUR: 1.1152
EUR/USD: 1.4361
16:42 - Progress on Wall Street continued apace as trading wore on today, with particular hope being laid on a resolution to Greece's debt problems.
The Dow Jones was 110 points higher at 12154, the Nasdaq climbed 26 points to 2715 and the S&P 500 rose 10 to 1291.
16:20 - Revised data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirms that the UK's economy is in a fragile condition.
The ONS data also showed that consumer spending had suffered its biggest fall since the depths of the recession and first-quarter production output fell.
Britain's economy grew by 0.5% during the first three months of the year, following a contraction of 0.5% in the final quarter of 2010 while household spending fell by 0.6%, underlining the delicate progress of the recovery.
16:01 - The latest monthly report from the Land Registry shows that house prices are still on a downward trend in England and Wales.
Prices fell by 0.4% during May, down 2.2% on the same time last year putting the average property at £161,823.
London was the only area to buck the trend, with a 2.9% rise in the last year and an average price of £344,819.
15:48 - Preliminary results for Premier Management (PMA) proved a damp squib on Tuesday, as it swung to a pre-tax loss in the 12 months to end-January.
The AIM-listed firm hailed the "exciting and watershed" moment of its new strategy to invest in gold exploration operations in Central Asia - particularly Kyrgyzstan.
However, its pre-tax loss came in at £2.2 million - down from a pre-tax profit of almost £45,000 last year.
15:29 - Sound Oil (SOU) was given a lift today by "very encouraging" results at its Marciano-1ST well in southern Italy.
The AIM-listed firm said testing operations at Marciano had produced gas rates up to 98,000 scmd, while the test will continue to determine a stabilised flow rate, results of which "will be used to determine the scope for early commercialisation of the well".
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, it confirmed the operator of its Kalimantan PSC - Salamander Energy Bangkanai - has signed an agreement on behalf of its joint venture to supply the Indonesian state electricity firm with up to 20.3 MMBtu per day.
15:07 - The FTSE 100 (UKX) got a shot in the arm from a strong start to trading across the Pond, extending its earlier gains.
London's top share index was 52 points higher at 5774, with part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) still top of the pile.
Meanwhile, there was no change at the other end of the table, with Tate and Lyle (TATE) by far the day's biggest faller.
14:50 - US markets were extending their gains early in trading on Tuesday, with optimism surrounding Greece proving the catalyst.
On the news front, better-than-expected home-price data offset a drop in June's consumer confidence index.
The Dow Jones leapt 71 points to 12115, while the Nasdaq rose 18 to 2706 and the S&P 500 climbed eight to 1288.
14:25 - The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has taken action against an individual suspected of involvement in an unauthorised collective investment scheme.
With the assistance of the Dorset Police, the FSA raided two premises in Poole, Dorset and one individual was arrested.
No-one has been charged at this stage in connection with the FSA's investigation, which is ongoing.
14:04 - AIM-listed Metal-Tech (MTT) said a decision by a court in Mongolia to freeze its accounts and assets in the country had taken a bite out of performance in the year to end-December.
Although revenue grew 25% to $45.9 million (£28.77 million), the specialty metals producer and recycler reported a wider pre-tax loss of £28.95 million - up from the previous year's £20.64 million.
The firm said it had taken "all necessary actions... to attain a fair and just result" in Mongolia, while it remained bullish looking ahead: "The company has entered 2011 with continued strong demand for Tungsten and expects sales of the metal to be higher in 2011 than in the previous year."
13:40 - Niche paper and materials group James Cropper (CRPR) notched up 14% turnover growth in the year to 2 April, but profit before tax and IAS19 pension adjustment dipped.
The AIM-listed firm reported turnover of £86.9 million, but pre-tax profit dipped from £3.7 million to £3.4 million.
Chairman Mark Cropper said he was "heartened" by the firm's prospects, adding: "Although challenges lie ahead I am confident that our business prospects are bright."
13:15 - Pre-tax profit nudged up in the year to end-March at West Pioneer Properties (WPR), as the Indian-focused shopping mall developer and operator hailed a "year of significant progress".
The AIM-listed firm saw revenue rise from $1.6 million to $2.1 million, while pre-tax profit inched ahead to $3.2 million (£2 million).
Looking ahead, West Pioneer said it was upbeat about the prospects of the Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan and its Nashik development.
12:49 - Credit-checking giant Experian (EXPN) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire US firm Medical Present Value.
FTSE 100-listed Experian will use its existing cash resources to pay the purchase price of $185 million (£116 million).
Medical Present Value is a provider of data, analytics and software in the US healthcare payments market, and Experian expects it to deliver around $45 million in revenue in the year to 31 December 2012.
12:23 - Chariot Oil and Gas (CHAR) has been granted a two-year renewal of its licences in Namibia.
The AIM-listed company said its wholly-owned subsidiary Enigma Oil & Gas Exploration has received formal approval from the Ministry of Mines and Energy to enter the first renewal phase for its central blocks 2312 A & B and Northern Halves of 2412 A & B and Southern Block 2714 A, offshore Namibia
Read more in: Chariot Oil & Gas cheers licence renewals.
12:00 - The FTSE 100 (UKX) had stepped back from earlier highs, but remained in the black on Tuesday as investors' nerves jangled ahead of Greece's vote on austerity plans.
London's top share index was up 21 points at 5743, with part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) up almost 4% to head the winners' board.
On the other side of the coin, Tate and Lyle (TATE) was propping up the index with losses of almost 3%.
At a glance...
Commodities
Gold: $1,502.14
WTI crude oil: $90.90
Currencies
GBP/USD: 1.5964
GBP/EUR: 1.1187
EUR/USD: 1.4270
11:38 - Standard Chartered (STAN) said it expects another strong half after growth in its key markets and a reduction in staff costs.
Profit at the Asia-focused bank was up more than 10% in the first five months of the year and it said cost growth would be broadly in line with income growth in the first half.
Read: Standard Chartered expects record profit, for more.
11:17 - Talent Group (TTV) chairman Terry Bate said today that he was pleased to "finally... be able to report a profit" in the six months to end-March.
The AIM-listed talent agency said turnover in the half year was up from £225,000 to £472,000 year-on-year, while pre-tax profit was a "modest" £5,000 - compared to the previous year's loss of £202,000.
Bate warned that conditions remained tricky, but said he was confident the business was in a good position to attain future growth.
10:59 - FTSE 250-listed Salamander Energy (SMDR) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary Salamander Energy (Bangkanai) has signed a gas sales and purchase agreement with PT PLN (Persero), the Indonesian state power company.
The subsidiary is purchasing gas from the Kerendan gas field, onshore Kalimantan, which will be used for local power generation.
Salamander said the contract will run for 20 years, with gas deliveries available by mid-2013 following the drilling of at least three production wells.
10:37 - Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) said today that it intends to acquire a majority interest in Chilean insurance broker, Orbital Corredores de Seguros.
The FTSE 250-listed reinsurance and insurance firm said it had signed heads of agreement to acquire an initial 50.1% interest in Alta SA - the holding company of Orbital - with an option to acquire a further 25% in 2020.
It anticipates completion to take place in the second half of 2011.
10:16 - Range Resources (RRL) told investors it was on track to spud the Mukhiani well in the Republic of Georgia next month, as part of its two-well exploration drilling programme.
The oil and gas exploration and production company said the drilling rig and associated equipment to be used in the two-well exploration programme in Georgia this year recently arrived at the port of Poti and is now on site, with a scheduled spudding date of early July.
For more on its Georgian progress and other drilling programmes, read: Range remains on track in Republic of Georgia.
09:52 - "Challenging trading conditions" led to a huge slump in pre-tax profit for LSE:CPR:Carpetright in the 52 weeks to 30 April.
Total group revenue at the FTSE 250-listed firm slipped 5.8% to £468.8 million, with pre-tax profit falling from £22.3 million to £6.6 million.
The firm said the lack of final dividend reflected the weak performance in the second half, while chairman and chief executive Lord Harris of Peckham warned that hew saw "no respite from the challenging environment over the next year".
09:26 - Specialist insurer Hiscox (HSX) said today that it estimates net claims from the April and May tornadoes in the US to come in around £35 million, based on insured market losses of $15-25 billion (£9.4-15.6 billion).
FTSE 250-listed Hiscox that estimates for other catastrophes so far this year remain unchanged, adding that recent catastrophes are having a "positive effect on reinsurance rates".
Looking ahead, it added: "Our own reinsurance cover remains substantially in place for the upcoming US hurricane season."
09:03 - The FTSE 100 (UKX) was moving ahead nicely on Tuesday morning, boosted by yesterday's rally across the Pond and hopes the Greek parliament will pass its austerity plans.
London's top share index rose 41 points in opening trade to 5763, with Cairn Energy (CNE) and Vedanta Resources (VED) battling it out at the top of the winners' board following the adjustments to the acquisition by the latter of Cairn India.
On the companies front, Capita Group (CPI) has been selected by the London Borough of Lambeth to form a collaborative partnership.
The FTSE 100-listed giant said the partnership will deliver a range of services extending the existing revenue collection contract administered by Capital and additional services including management of the council's call centre operations.
In turn, Capita's Community Development Trust will invest £500,000 to provide support for Lambeth resident, including mentoring, training and employment opportunities.
US markets...
Wall Street put in a rousing performance on Monday as it rebounded from three days of losses, thanks to a surge among the technology sector and financial stocks.
The Dow Jones rallied 109 points to 12043 with gains lead by Microsoft (MSFT) and Bank of America (BAC). The tech-heavy Nasdaq added 35 points to 2688, while the broader S&P 500 rose 11 points to 1280.
At a glance...
Asian markets
Nikkei 225: 9648 (up 70)
Hang Seng: 22039 (down two)
Shanghai Composite: 2759 (up one)
Commodities
Gold: 1,502.60
WTI crude oil: $90.54
Currencies
GBP/USD: 1.6003
GBP/EUR: 1.1206
EUR/USD: 1.4280
08:00 - The FTSE 100 (UKX) opens at 5722.
