London close: Stocks edge higher ahead of long Easter weekend

Stocks finished moderately higher on Thursday, though gains were trimmed in afternoon trade as traders scaled back risk appetite ahead of a long four-day weekend for the Easter holidays.Meanwhile, continuing concerns over the Eurozone kept markets on their toes today, as political uncertainty in Italy and worries of a bank run in Cyprus clouded the outlook for the single-currency bloc.A barrage of economic data from States missed forecasts today, yet the S&P 500 breached its all-time high in morning trade in New York. It remains to be seen if the index can close above its record of 1,565 set in October 2007, but analysts at Digital Look said it's important to remember that the S&P 500 has advanced on low volumes ahead of the long weekend.The annualised rate of US gross domestic product growth in the fourth quarter of 2012 was revised higher to 0.4% but came up short of the 0.5% consensus forecast. Meanwhile, jobless claims Stateside also disappointed, showing a surprise rise last week, while the Chicago purchasing managers' index was well below expectations.Cyprus reopens banksBanks in Cyprus were dominating the headlines this morning as their doors opened for the first time in nearly two weeks following a €10bn bailout deal with the Troika that included controversial levies on large uninsured deposits in return for bank shares.While deposits under €100,000 will be safe, the government has imposed strict capital control measures - capping daily cash withdrawals per person per bank at €300 - to ensure the country retains enough cash to meet the bailout requirements. Temporary capital controls are expected to apply for at least seven days."Morning images of armed Cypriot police stationed outside banks to prevent civilians from withdrawing their own money stands as a vivid metaphor for how far the Eurozone has fallen, and will no doubt focus the minds of equity investors," said Matt Basi, the Head of UK Sales Trading at CMC Markets.FTSE 100: Tate & Lyle gains; miners slideTate & Lyle's stock was up as the food and sweetener giant reported "solid sales" ahead of its annual results. The group has performed strongly in the year ended March 31st, particularly in its speciality food ingredients division, according to a trading statement.IHG rose after selling its Park Lane hotel to Constellation Hotel UK for £302m, 62% above the net book value at the end of December. Investec upgraded its rating for the stock from 'hold' to 'buy' this morning, saying that the earlier-than-expected disposal increases the potential for near-term additional cash returns for shareholders.Chemicals firm Johnson Matthey was a high riser after completing the £107m acquisition of Swedish formaldehyde producer Formox, expanding its position "as a leading supplier of technology for a range of syngas and other chemical processes," the company said.National Grid also gained after saying that earnings for the full year will be modestly ahead of previous guidance. The company also unveiled a new dividend policy that aims to grow payout at least in line with the rate of RPI inflation each year.Heading the other way were the miners with copper producer Antofagasta among the worst performance after announcing late last night that it is re-starting its Antucoya project in Chile at a higher capex than before. Credit Suisse said today that the move rules out a large dividend this year.Sector peers ENRC, Vedanta, Anglo American, Fresnillo and BHP Billiton were also firmly lower.FTSE 250: Bellway gains; RPC tanksHome builder Bellway topped the FTSE 250 risers, advancing nearly 5.0% after unveiling a sharp rise in half-year profits earlier this week. The stock was given a lift today by a ratings upgrade by JPMorgan Cazenove to 'overweight'.Plastic packaging supplier RPC Group was the biggest faller, dropping nearly 12% after saying that revenue and profits for the financial year 2012/13 would be lower than the previous year. Meanwhile, the firm said that it expects growth to be "limited" next year.Interdealer broker ICAP continued to fall after yesterday's gloomy trading update, which said that conditions have been "extremely challenging" so far this financial year. UBS, Citigroup and JPMorgan all cut their target prices for the stock today.FTSE 100 - RisersTate & Lyle (TATE) 850.00p +3.03%InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2,007.00p +2.82%BAE Systems (BA.) 394.30p +2.74%Hammerson (HMSO) 491.90p +2.61%Wolseley (WOS) 3,273.00p +2.47%easyJet (EZJ) 1,080.00p +2.27%Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,300.00p +2.22%Whitbread (WTB) 2,568.00p +2.07%Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 2,299.00p +2.04%Land Securities Group (LAND) 829.00p +1.91%FTSE 100 - FallersEurasian Natural Resources Corp. (ENRC) 246.10p -4.50%Antofagasta (ANTO) 984.00p -4.00%Vedanta Resources (VED) 1,005.00p -2.52%Tullow Oil (TLW) 1,231.00p -1.91%Anglo American (AAL) 1,692.00p -1.74%Fresnillo (FRES) 1,356.00p -1.45%London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 1,306.00p -1.43%BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,915.00p -1.36%Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 4,718.00p -1.19%Royal Dutch Shell 'B' (RDSB) 2,185.00p -1.09%FTSE 250 - RisersBellway (BWY) 1,297.00p +4.60%Alent (ALNT) 377.60p +4.22%Inmarsat (ISAT) 702.50p +3.61%Marston's (MARS) 141.50p +3.21%Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 90.90p +3.00%Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC) 272.30p +2.99%Intu Properties (INTU) 334.30p +2.96%Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 966.50p +2.93%Persimmon (PSN) 1,069.00p +2.89%Phoenix Group Holdings (DI) (PHNX) 668.00p +2.77%FTSE 250 - FallersRPC Group (RPC) 397.50p -11.86%Centamin (DI) (CEY) 49.45p -7.83%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 193.10p -6.53%Hochschild Mining (HOC) 273.90p -4.00%Tullett Prebon (TLPR) 259.20p -3.96%ICAP (IAP) 290.40p -3.94%SDL (SDL) 393.90p -3.67%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 29.00p -3.65%Bumi (BUMI) 295.80p -3.65%Perform Group (PER) 467.00p -3.11%BC