Footsie closing in on 6000 mark

The Footsie index of 100 leading stocks is up 46.9 points at lunchtime at 5988.4, and a strong start to trading in the US could send the London index above the 6000 barrier for the first time since early March.

Software group Sage is leading the way, rising 11% or 32p to 316p after saying it's on track to achieve 15% annual organic growth.