Banks and technology companies took US stocks higher on Tuesday as companies continued to report strong second-quarter results.

The FTSE 100 Index bounced back past the 6000 mark today, but Marks & Spencer shares slumped into the red despite news of a Christmas sales hike.

Falls among blue chip banks pulled the FTSE 100 Index into negative territory today after warnings of a possible ratings downgrade for debt-laden Spain.

The threat of a ratings downgrade for Spain sent blue-chip banks lower today and dragged the FTSE 100 Index back from yesterday's two-and-a-half-year high.

Investor apathy pushed stocks lower today as Wall Street nervously awaited a key decision on interest rates, the transfer of power in Iraq and next month’s second-quarter earnings.