The FTSE has started the new month little-changed following a sharp drop at the end of April. Despite the late sell-off, the UK index managed to end the month with a gain of about 2.5%. In contrast, the S&P 500 only managed a gain of about 1% over the month while the German DAX index ended almost 4.5% worse off. To some degree, the FTSE’s relatively better performance last month was due to the rebounding oil prices which lifted energy stocks, a sector which had previously weighed on the commodity-heavy index. Also supporting the FTSE has been the mixed-bag UK company earnings and a somewhat positive sentiment on Wall ... (full story)