(Open): The London market edged higher in early trade on a quiet day for top flight company news.
Shortly after opening, the FTSE 100 index was up 6.80 points at 6,823.17.
In the FTSE 250, shares in Poundland rose 3.4% after the retailer reported its first set of annual results since its flotation on the London market.
Pre-tax profits fell 19% to £21.5m but the fall was mainly due to costs from the flotation. Underlying profits rose 23.5% to £36.8m.
On the currency markets, the pound was down 0.06% against the dollar at $1.7155, and slipped 0.07% against the euro to 1.2558 euros.
