Oil price increase nudges Ftse into positive territory

The London market edged back into positive territory as a rise in the price of oil eased the pressure on top-flight stocks.

Benchmark Brent crude stepped up nearly 1% to $44.35 (€39.20) a barrel, rebounding from earlier falls when Kuwait oil workers called off a three-day strike, which had been keeping oil prices afloat after talks on a production freeze ended in stalemate over the weekend.

The Ftse 100 was up 4.9 points to 6410.3, having hit a fresh four-month high on Tuesday, closing above 6400 for the first time since early December.