Morning Market: Shares edge ahead helped by resilient Wall Street

Wall Street's reslience to evidence of a slowdown in economic growth and the EU agreement for tougher budget rules to prevent another Greek-type financial crisis see UK equities ending a positive week on a quietly confident note.

By 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was up 18 points at 5,272 and the Mid-250 index 17 points higher at 9,882.

BP improved afresh to 364p, up 4.4p, amid reports it is to fundamentally overhaul its near-term business plans as a result of the oil spill.

Aviva claimed number one spot among the leaders at 355p, up 6.6p in the wake of a JP Morgan rating upgrade and mining shares returned to favour after taking a breather yesterday.

Randgold Resources at £63, Johnson Matthey £16.16 and Rio Tinto £33.31 gained 6p to 50p.

Recent positive broker comment underpinned Reckitt Benckiser at £33.52, up 28p and favourable press comment supported tobacco shares BAT at £22.07 and Imperial, £19.65, around 10p firmer.

A UBS rating downgrade cast a shadow over Capita Group at 788.5p, down 11p and the threat of a long strike unsettled BT Group at 138.7p, off a penny.

Among the mid-caps contract news benefited Lamprell at 219p, up 11p and a UBS rating upgrade strengthened William Hill at 182p, up 4p.

WS Atkins dipped another 11p to 684.5p on further consideration of yesterday's update, with Goldman Sachs downgrading the stock to neutral from buy.

Among the small-caps an upbeat trading statement lifted Staffline Group 15p to 85.25p, but Seaenergy shed 5p to 29p on its disposal of Serl.