FTSE nears 5,000 as miners soar

The FTSE 100 advanced more than 35 points (0.73%) to 4,969.08 in early trading, boosted by a rise in gold prices, which have passed the $1,000 an ounce barrier. Miners Rio Tinto and Vedanta Resources gained 3.75% to £25.57 and 3.58% to £18.53 respectively, while Kazakhmys advanced 3.55% to £10.49. InterContinental Hotels, which owns the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn chains, gained the most in early trading after Credit Suisse raised its recommendation to 'outperform'. The stock rose 5.99% to 814p, However, Unilever fell 0.91% to £16.42 while Aviva tumbled 0.85% to 408.7p. Wall St...