London open: Investors turn cautious ahead of FOMC minutes

- Bernanke comments in focus ahead of FOMC minutes- Telecom Plus buys back businesses from Npower- Diageo CEO warns of 'uncertain' global economytechMARK 2,637.85 -0.24%FTSE 100 6,687.39 -0.16%FTSE 250 15,243.72 -0.14%UK stocks declined on Wednesday as investors adopted a cautious approach ahead of the release of the minutes from the latest Federal Reserve policy meeting this evening.The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will release details of its October meeting this afternoon as markets wait to hear about the central bank's decision to maintain its stimulus programme last month.However, comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke last night were in focus this morning after he reiterated that any tapering of asset purchases remains dependent on incoming economic data, as he held back from shedding any light on the timetable for an impending withdrawal."This comes before the FOMC meetings minutes will be released later today which will undoubtedly lead to volatility as investors attempt to decipher the underlying sentiment of the FOMC," said Alex Conroy, Financial Sales Trader at Spreadex.Retail sales, consumer price inflation and existing-home sales data is also due out today from the US this afternoon. Meanwhile, investors closer to home will be watching closely for the release of the minutes from the Bank of England's latest policy meeting.Telecom Plus soars after H1 results, acquisitionsUtilities reseller Telecom Plus was a high riser this morning after agreeing to pay £218m to buy back two gas and electricity supply businesses from Npower which it sold in 2006. The announcement came as the firm delivered a 17% increase in revenues in the first half, as profits rose 10.1%.Drinks group Diageo was under the weather after Chief Executive Ivan Menezes was reported as saying that the "uncertain" macro environment will continue to limit sales growth. Sector peer SABMiller was also out of favour this morning.Airline group easyJet was extending gains made yesterday after the company delivered a 51% increase in annual profits and unveiled an unexpected special dividend to shareholders.GlaxoSmithKline rose after completing the partial sale of Aspen Pharmacare, raising gross proceeds of 7.06bn South African rand ($695m).Engineering and construction firm Kentz was higher after being awarded a $190m contract with Qatar Petroleum for services on 775 wells across the Dukhan Oilfield in Qatar, extending the firms' long-standing relationship which started back in 1997.FTSE 100 - RisersAberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 487.80p +2.65%easyJet (EZJ) 1,367.00p +1.64%Pearson (PSON) 1,348.00p +1.43%London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 1,593.00p +1.34%British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSY) 835.00p +1.21%Travis Perkins (TPK) 1,743.00p +1.04%William Hill (WMH) 364.80p +0.97%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 330.70p +0.95%Shire Plc (SHP) 2,824.00p +0.86%Persimmon (PSN) 1,193.00p +0.68%FTSE 100 - FallersRexam (REX) 494.50p -1.79%Vodafone Group (VOD) 228.05p -1.72%Diageo (DGE) 1,999.50p -1.43%Weir Group (WEIR) 2,185.00p -1.27%Tate & Lyle (TATE) 811.00p -1.22%Hammerson (HMSO) 509.00p -1.17%Centrica (CNA) 338.10p -1.14%Intertek Group (ITRK) 3,067.00p -1.13%Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 407.50p -1.02%Meggitt (MGGT) 501.50p -0.99%FTSE 250 - RisersTelecom Plus (TEP) 1,711.00p +13.54%Perform Group (PER) 443.80p +3.21%International Personal Finance (IPF) 591.50p +2.69%Kentz Corporation Ltd. (KENZ) 556.00p +2.58%BH Global Ltd. USD Shares (BHGU) 11.91 +1.79%Barratt Developments (BDEV) 326.80p +1.78%Telecity Group (TCY) 683.00p +1.64%Lancashire Holdings Limited (LRE) 804.00p +1.45%Devro (DVO) 310.90p +1.44%KCOM Group (KCOM) 104.40p +1.36%FTSE 250 - FallersHenderson Group (HGG) 216.90p -1.86%Centamin (DI) (CEY) 48.98p -1.84%Spirent Communications (SPT) 103.90p -1.70%Dunelm Group (DNLM) 879.00p -1.68%Bodycote (BOY) 608.50p -1.62%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 188.60p -1.62%Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,194.00p -1.57%Great Portland Estates (GPOR) 562.00p -1.40%Witan Inv Trust (WTAN) 650.50p -1.36%Afren (AFR) 158.90p -1.30%BC