Big updates fail to maintain FTSE upswing

The London market failed to build on the week’s early recovery today as a flurry of corporate updates disappointed traders and sent the FTSE 100 Index into the red.

Results from the likes of Whitbread, Reckitt Benckiser and oil giant BP weighed heavily on the market and dashed hopes that the top flight may build on yesterday’s rally which took it above the 5200 barrier.