FTSE powers higher as BP seals oil well

The FTSE 100 had a strong start to the week, up 0.71% or 39.14 points to 5,547.59, supported by news BP had permanently sealed its Gulf of Mexico oil well.

BP was one of the biggest risers in early morning trading, up 1.55% to 409.3p. Oil explorer BG Group also advanced, gaining 1.34% to £10.97.

Other winners included Schroders NV, which climbed 1.83% to £11.66.

Sage led index fallers, down 0.08% to 255p, followed by Tomkins, which dipped 0.03% to 324.4p.

Meanwhile, data from property website Rightmove showed a further fall in house prices in September, with unsold stocks still at record levels.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones was unchanged after giving up most of its gains as worries about the economic recovery resurfaced.

The index closed up 0.12% or 13.02 points to 10,607.85 after the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for September showed an unexpected dip.

In Japan, the markets were closed for a public holiday.