Footsie back in positive territory

The Footsie index of 100 leading shares is up 13.1 points at lunchtime to stand at 5810 after falling by 63 points in the first 30 minutes of trading this morning.

A mixture of old and new economy stocks are leading the recovery, with Rentokil Initial leading the way after giving an upbeat trading statement at its annual general meeting. Its share price is up 13% or 24p at 214½p.