LONDON, Oct 5: Britain’s top share index edged higher in early trading on Friday, helped by stronger mining equities, although the index remained stuck in a range and investors waited for fresh catalysts emerging from events such as U.S. Non-farm jobs data.
At 0709 GMT, the FTSE 100 index was up by 17.79 points, or 0.3 percent higher, at 5,845.27 after closing flat in the previous session. The index has been stuck in a 200-point range for nearly a month.
Many investors’ focus will be on U.S. Non-farm payrolls data, due at 1230 GMT. According to a Reuters survey, employers are expected to have added 113,000 jobs to their payrolls, up from 96,000 in August, with the unemployment rate edging up to 8.2 percent.
The UK mining index rose 0.5 percent, ENRC was up 1.3 percent, while Rio Tinto gained 1 percent. (agencies)
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