Mining stocks rallied to boost the FTSE 100 yesterday thanks to a rise in the price of copper. The sector recovered from days of difficult trading last week, pushing the index closer to new highs. A strike at Cerro Verde — the largest copper mine in Peru — lifted three-month prices on the London Metal Exchange by more than 1 per cent. Antofagasta climbed 36½p to 784½p, Anglo American was 46p better at £11.86½, Rio Tinto rose 126p to £33.04½ and BHP Billiton gained 31p to £12.75½. The FTSE climbed 24 points or 0.33 per cent to close at 7,367.08, just 15.82 points short of the record it set on March 1.

Source: The Times March 14, 2017 00:06 UTC