MasterMetals: FTSE 100 to go with the flow and head higher

UK equities are set to continue yesterday's return to form, after a solid showing in the US overnight and in Asia this morning.

Spread betting quotes suggest the FTSE 100 will open around 20 points above last night's close of 7,015.

The Chinese consumer inflation rate was unchanged at 1.4% in March, in line with forecasts.

The Shanghai Composite added 59 points while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng added to recent gains, advancing 41 points to 26,986.

The Nikkei 225 in Japan hardened 39 points to 19,977, helped by the softening of the Japanese exchange rate.

Overnight, US indices kicked on, driven by the energy and healthcare sectors.

The benchmark S&P 500 index put on nine point at 2,0191, while the old war-horse, the Dow Jones average, gained 56 points at 17,959. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite was, in percentage terms, the best performer of the three, climbing 24 points (0.48%) to 4,975.

Back home, the corporate agenda is scheduled to be quiet, but we'e had two blockbuster unscheduled announcements the last two days, so we may not get the quiet end to the week we are expecting.

A fourth quarter production update from Vedanta (LON:VED) is likely to be the highlight, barring another hot story from the energy sector.