Lloyds Banking Group shares traded ex-rights today, standing at 58.6p by the close.

Insurers made progress on the back of upbeat broker comment, with Legal & General up 2.45p at 80.95p when Nomura raised its target on the stock to 125p from 115p. Aviva added 8.1p at 379.5p and Prudential rose 185p at 639p.

Phone dealer Carphone Warehouse ticked up 2.4p at 194.7p after raising its full-year guidance when it posted half-year results ahead of expectations.

Commodity issues followed the banks' example by gaining momentum as the session wore on.

Fresnillo was the only faller amongst the miners, down 7p at 845.5p, while Xstrata was the best of them, up 50p at 1,072p.

Anglo American rose 25p at 2,588p, Vedanta advanced 69p at 2,305p and Randgold Resources gained 140p at 5,165p.

Oil majors shrugged off weakening crude prices, with Shell up 17p at 1,769p, BG Group 18.5p higher at 1,126p and BP ahead 9.8p at 583.8p.

Down the list, Dana Petroleum made strong gains, up 24p at 1,230p, helped by a positive take on the shares in the Daily Telegraph this morning.

A review of retailers by Goldman Sachs created movement, with luxury brand Burberry ahead 9.5p at 572.5p after an upgrade and Home Retail Group and Kesa Electricals falling 2.2p at 298.4p and 2.1p at 154.8p on being downgraded to sell.

Hopes of strong trade over the holiday period gave travel firms a boost, with Thomas Cook the best performer, up 9.7p at 216.2p and TUI Travel ahead 5.7p at 243.7p. Cruise operator Carnival rose 47p at 2,042p.