FTSE jumps as miners boost

The leading share index in the UK was higher on Thursday as support from the Federal Reserve in the US sent the price of commodities higher. By the close of the session, the FTSE 100 was up by 1.3 per cent, adding more than 72 points to reach 5795.

The Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday night that it will continue to support the economic growth for a further two years at least, driving up the forecasts for demand for industrially-used metals. This in turn boosted the miners who lifted the index by 4.2 per cent overall.

Seven out of the top ten performers of the day came from the mining sector, with Vedanta Resources topping the pile with a rise of 8.68 per cent. Polymetal International was...