London midday: FTSE 100 storms past 6,000

The top share index has soared back above the 6,000 point mark, with some well-received corporate news here and overseas whetting traders' appetites.ARM Holdings is leading the FTSE 100 higher after a strong update from its US peer Intel, while miners move ahead as metals prices advance. Antofagasta is among the top risers in the mining sector.Home products retailer Home Retail Group is wanted even after it announced the departure of Argos's managing director as it unveiled a sharp fall in profits due to lower sales at the catalogue-based chain and predicted further sales declines. The company said that Sara Weller informed the board that she is stepping down for "personal reasons." Home Retail's pre-tax profits for the year to 26 February came in at £254m, down 13% from the previous year and in line with expectations. Sales were down by 3% to £5.85bn. The full-year dividend was maintained at 14.7p.In the FTSE 250, recycled packaging group DS Smith is in demand after it said that the year ending 30 April is progressing 'in line' with good improvements in return on sales and "significant" earnings growth, as the group has been able to tackle rising input costs. "While we have seen the anticipated further input cost increases come through in the final quarter of the year, these costs are being recovered successfully," the statement said. Mining leviathan BHP Billiton enjoyed record iron ore production and sales in the first nine months of its financial year. Year to date production records were also achieved for crude oil and condensate, the North West Shelf (Australia) and manganese ore.Elsewhere in mining, the copper division of mining giant Xstrata is expanding its copper production capacity in Queensland, Australia with the purchase of assets from Exco Resources for A$175m (£113m).The UK & Ireland are letting the side down at distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl, which has otherwise seen good revenue growth this year. The group said trading so far in 2011 has been consistent with expectations outlined at the time of the group's full year results announcement in February, with underlying revenue growth of 2.5%, despite persistent difficult economic conditions in the UK & Ireland.A change to the executive team at accounting software giant Sage has been forced on the company by the decision of Paul Stobart, head of the group's Northern Europe operations, to move on. Stobart, who has been with the group since 1996, will cease to be a director of Sage on 31 May 2011.Global diamond producer Gem Diamonds increased production from its Letseng mine in Lesotho in the first quarter of 2011 and benefited from higher prices. The company said 26,541 carats were recovered at its Letseng operations, up 29% from the same period in 2010. The average value per carat from Letseng rose to $3,067 from $1,839 during the first three tenders of 2010, while its April 2011 exports achieved a value of $4,272 a carat. Shares in Bowleven dived after the AIM-listed oil explorer announced drilling results from the Sapele-1ST well offshore Cameroon. The well encountered a total of 23 metres of net hydrocarbon-bearing pay, Bowleven said. FTSE 100 - RisersGKN (GKN) 204.80p +4.49%Wolseley (WOS) 2,168.00p +4.38%ARM Holdings (ARM) 599.50p +4.17%Kingfisher (KGF) 277.50p +3.89%Royal Dutch Shell 'B' (RDSB) 2,246.50p +3.88%Xstrata (XTA) 1,514.00p +3.81%InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 1,305.00p +3.33%BP (BP.) 467.40p +3.29%Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,360.00p +3.26%Tullow Oil (TLW) 1,424.00p +3.26%FTSE 100 - FallersReed Elsevier (REL) 528.50p -1.67%Resolution Ltd. (RSL) 288.30p -1.40%Legal & General Group (LGEN) 115.50p -1.03%BAE Systems (BA.) 324.00p -0.74%Smith & Nephew (SN.) 677.50p +0.15%SABMiller (SAB) 2,225.50p +0.25%Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,508.00p +0.40%Rolls-Royce Group (RR.) 630.50p +0.40%Essar Energy (ESSR) 440.50p +0.52%Autonomy Corporation (AU.) 1,505.00p +0.53%FTSE 250 - RisersDS Smith (SMDS) 211.10p +6.89%Home Retail Group (HOME) 219.90p +5.06%Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 475.00p +4.79%CPP Group (CPP) 129.80p +4.76%Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) 499.50p +4.26%Senior (SNR) 156.30p +4.20%RPS Group (RPS) 219.30p +3.84%Fenner (FENR) 363.20p +3.65%Bunzl (BNZL) 740.50p +3.64%Dixons Retail (DXNS) 13.73p +3.62%FTSE 250 - FallersBetfair Group (BET) 856.50p -4.14%JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 887.00p -3.11%IG Group Holdings (IGG) 450.80p -1.53%Greggs (GRG) 506.50p -1.46%Ocado Group (OCDO) 233.60p -1.43%Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CW.) 48.95p -1.25%National Express Group (NEX) 257.80p -1.19%Balfour Beatty (BBY) 321.40p -1.17%BH Macro Ltd. USD Shares (BHMU) 16.3 -0.73%BH Global Ltd. GBP Shares (BHGG) 1,077.00p -0.65%