Footsie kicks off 09 with a bang

The FTSE 100 Index joined stock markets globally in kicking off 2009 with a bang today in spite of more gloomy economic data.

London’s Footsie soared 2.9% – up 127.6 points at 4561.8 – as oil and commodity stocks provided a new year boost after the index closed 2008 with the worst annual performance on record.