Market overview: Stocks break four-day losing streak

1630:Close Stocks ended higher for the first time in five sessions as the latest Chinese data gave copper prices a breather, although they tapped fresh six-year lows at the intra-day level. Experian saw follow-through selling from Tuesday but this time around gains on the top flight index were paced by St.James’s Place and Merlin Entertainments. The latest UK employment data did little to clear up the uncertainty around the probably timing of the BoE’s first rate hike. No economic data was forthcoming out of the US due to the Veteran’s Day holiday. FTSE 100 up 21.92 points to 6,297.20.

1504: If BHP Billiton and Vale's joint iron-mining venture in Brazil cannot cover the cleanup and legal costs related to the breaking of a tailings dam then the country's government will be able to go after the two companies' assets, according to officials and lawyers cited by the Wall Street Journal.

1330: Three-month copper futures are down by 0.3% to $4,911.00 per metric tonne on the LME.

1100: "Commenting on today's employment report, Barclays points out how, "the Bank of England Agents’ Report shows a marked decline in employment expectations over the next six months in both consumer services and manufacturing, with business services employment expectations flat. [...] If our inflation forecasts are realised and core wage growth does not pick up and at an increasing rate, we could begin to see real wages dip further, eating into consumption, supporting our view that private consumption will slow into H2 15 and 2016."

1000: Shares in information services company Experian are rallying for the second day in a row, after Citigroup lifted its price target on the stock by 9% to 1,340p to reflect higher earnings and the sector’s re-rating. It said the results brought important validation of its view that Experian can still grow solidly in Brazil despite contracting consumer and business credit issuance and that its management is genuinely committed to shareholder distribution. The bank rates Experian at ‘buy’. Morgan Stanley also lent a helping hand, hiking its target on the shares to 1,400p from 1,350p.

0944: Cable is trading higher by 0.22% to 1.5151 after today's jobs numbers.

0930: The UK's unemployment rate fell to 5.3% in September from 5.4% in the month before, but earnings growth undershot market forecasts.

0915: The Footsie has started the session higher led by follow-through buying in shares of Experian and Rolls Royce. Market sentiment has received an early boost thanks to some signs of stabilisation, according to economists, in the latest data on chinese economic activity. UK employment data is set for release at 09:30. Consensus is calling for the unemployment rate to hold steady at 5.4% but for wages to pick up to a 3.2% year-on-year rate of growth. A couple of well-known analysts believe today's data could show the MPC is too far behind the curve. Speaking overnight Adam Posen (ex-BoE) and Lorenzo Bini-Smaghi (ex-ECB) called into question expectations for the timing and amount of further ECB easing in December, respectively. That comes as Draghi is set to give a speech in London, today. FTSE 100 up 44.96 points to 6,319.67.