Hargreaves Lansdown advanced after assets under administration at the investment manager increased by 9% in the year to end-June, despite a 16% fall in the FTSE All Share index during the period.

Fallers outnumber risers by around two to one among Footsie constituents, with the risers dominated by commodity plays.

Footsie has drifted further into the red with higher commodities prices and strong results from oil stocks Tullow and Petrofac unable to offset gloom elsewhere.

Footsie has poked into the blue after a cautious start on a very busy day for company results.

London is tipped for a quiet start with the £1.5bn loss posted by Taylor Wimpey likely to attract the attention even on a very busy day for company results.

London erased a large chunk of an early triple digit loss, although a weak mining sector cancelled strength on Wall Street and bid talk surrounding Liberty International.

Commodity plays and financials lead the Footsie lower, with the former easing in line with lower metal and oil prices and the latter once again under a cloud as concerns over credit markets refuse to recede.

Prices have stabilised at their lower levels, with the Footsie remaining on or around 100 points in the hole.

Bovis Homes is one of the best performers even after reporting the "toughest period of trading it has experienced in its time as a public company" and forecasting more difficult times.

Shopping centre owner Liberty International is up on bid hopes after specialist mall owner Westfield announced a 2.96% stake and property investor Simon Property Group took its holding past 4%.

Footsie remains deep in the red, with mining stocks lower on the back of falling metals prices and financial stocks also among the losers.

London has shed more than 100 points with a grim update from housebuilder Bovis allied to increasing nervousness about the US housing market keeping buyers firmly on the sidelines.

London is expected to open in downbeat mood after heavy falls on Wall Street overnight. Footsie is tipped to shed more than 60 points.

London's top shares finished with stellar gains as a strong start on Wall Street added to the earlier drive from finance and real estate stocks.

IT staffing group Parity advanced after Aim-listed rival Xpertise received a 150p bid from privately-owned QA-IQ. Xpertise recently agreed the acquisiton of Parity's training division for £4.775m, but a condition of the offer from QA-IQ is that this deal is cancelled.

London's blue chips have built on earlier gains, with financial and real estate stocks leading the way.

Footsie has surged ahead during the morning session with financials leading the index higher.