FTSE 100 higher as miners rebound

• 9 December 2015
• From the section Business

(Open): The main UK share index rose in early trade, with mining companies rebounding after recording steep falls on Tuesday.

The FTSE 100 index was up 24.36 points at 6,159.58, having fallen by 1.4% in the previous session.

After plunging more than 12% on Tuesday, shares in Anglo American recovered some ground, rising 2.9%.

Anglo had unveiled a restructuring plan on Tuesday, but the whole mining sector was hit by falling commodity prices.

Brent crude fell below $40 a barrel for the first time in almost seven years on Tuesday and iron ore hit a 10-year low.

However, mining shares in general were higher on Wednesday, with BHP Billiton up 4.4% and Rio Tinto rising 3.7%.

On the currency markets, the pound rose 0.17% against the dollar to $1.5035, but dropped 0.1% against the euro to €1.3768.