The FTSE 100 slipped back slightly yesterday to close down just 0.1% at 5,526.
Energy stocks provided some support for the index - Cairn Energy and BG Group both gained 2.5%, while BP added 0.6%, but Royal Dutch Shell fell back 0.2%.
Miners were mixed, with Kazakhmys up 1.9% and ENRC, Vedanta and Rio Tinto in positive territory, while BHP Billiton and Anglo American saw their share prices dip.
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Banks were mixed too: Lloyds headed the list of climbers with a gain of 4.3%, and Barclays rose 2.8%, but HSBC shed 0.5% and RBS lost 2.2%
Read the latest stock market news and charts here.
Europe
In Europe, the Paris CAC 40 rose seven points to 4,024; and the German Xetra Dax was 15 points lower at 6,019.
US
In the US, stocks were down after a slight increase in unemployment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P500 both fell 0.3% to 10,539 and 1,134 respectively; and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.5% to 2,289.
Asia
Overnight in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% to 10,798, while the broader Topix index was 1% higher at 941. In China, the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.1% to 3,196; and the CSI 300 closed up 0.25% at 3,480.
Commodities
Brent spot was trading at $80.62 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $82.46. Spot gold was trading at $1,125 an ounce, silver was at $18.13 and platinum was at $1,547
Currencies
In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.6018 and against the euro at 1.1174. The dollar was trading at 0.698 against the euro and 93.09 against the Japanese yen.
UK news
And today, Royal Bank of Scotland's restructuring continues with the announcement that it is to sell some of its asset management business to Aberdeen Asset Management (AAM) in a deal worth nearly £85m. Martin Gilbert, AAM' chief executive, said: "This is a well-run business with an excellent distribution network, which has delivered good performance over a number of years."
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Frozen thresholds could push ‘tax freedom day’ to latest date this centuryTax freedom day is the point in the year you stop earning for the taxman and start earning for yourself. A rising tax burden could push it to 12 June this year – the latest date since 1982.
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Family left with £20k IHT bill because of out-of-date tax adviceFrozen tax thresholds and dated guidance helped drag the estate into an inheritance tax liability despite extensive use of gifting to avoid a bill
