FTSE 100 index stages relief rally after US jobless figures

The FTSE 100 index has staged a so-called relief rally after official figures from the US government showed that fewer Americans than initially feared lost their jobs last month. The FTSE 100 was down about 20 points before the release of the non-farm payrolls data and trading up 5.8 points at 4511.17 points a few minutes afterwards. The data does paint a grim picture of the US labour market, with employers axing 524,000 people in December. But the figure was down on 584,000 in the previous month...