Markets: miners bounce back to lift FTSE 100

• FTSE 100 up 0.5% to 6,074
• Gold down 0.36% to $1,119.41
• £/$ - 1.5170

FTSE 100

Antofagasta was the day's top performer, up 7.4%, Glencore added 7.3%, and Anglo American was 1.5% higher.

In Europe's markets yesterday, the Paris CAC 40 rose 0.6% to 4,549, and the German Xetra Dax was 0.7% higher at 10,108.

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America's markets were closed for a public holiday.

Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 2.4% to 17,427, and the broader Topix index lost 2% to 1,416. And in China, the CSI 300 rose 2.6% to 3,334, and the Shanghai Composite added 2.9% to 3,321.

Brent spot was trading at $48.26 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $44.75. Spot gold was trading at $1,121 an ounce, silver was at $14.60 and platinum was at $995.

In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5342 and against the euro at 1.3724. The dollar was trading at 0.8945 against the euro and 120.09 against the Japanese yen.

And today, Japanese insurance firm Mitsui Sumitomo has agreed a £3.5bn takeover of FTSE 250-listed Amlin, just a month after Amlin's chief executive, Charles Philipps, said "We are not for sale". Amlin shareholders will receive 670p per share, some 36% over yesterday's closing price.