Britain?s leading share index slipped into the red early in the afternoon session as US markets opened lower on debt ceiling worries, but recovered to show modest gains at the death.
This was despite Anglo American () getting a shoeing after it announced plans to cut 14,000 jobs and take out 400,000 ounces of platinum production in a huge shake-up of platinum arm Amplats.
The proposals have provoked angry reactions in South African from politicians and union representatives.
Outgoing chief executive Cynthia Carroll said the plan, which will also see capital expenditure slashed by 25% over the next ten years, would save the company R3.8bn (?270mln) annually by 2015.
Anglo?s shares initially reacted positively to the announcement, as did rival platinum miners Aquarius Platinum () and Lonmin ()
Upmarket fashion house Burberry (), was wanted after its Christmas trading update.
Shares in the luxury goods group, famed for its distinctive chequered pattern, scrubbed up nicely, up 4.6% as demand for its iconic coats, menswear and digital sales helped revenues race ahead over the holiday.
The FTSE 100 finished the day up 9 (0.15) at 6,117.
Broker commentary was more a short at ARM () than a shot in the arm for the computer chip designer.
Morgan Stanley and Investec both praised the stock, calling it the best investment idea in the sector. However, having risen 50% over the past three months alone, they suggest looking elsewhere for value.
Also hitting sentiment were rumours that Apple has cut in half its orders for iPhone 5 touch screens in the first quarter of 2013 after sluggish demand for its newest handset.
Investors legged it from ARM, down 3.7%, as they feared the same would happen for other components, such as the processors that ARM?s customers make for the tech giant.
Publisher Pearson (), up 3.3%, and free-to-air broadcaster ITV (), up 0.6%, both climbed after UBS urged investors to buy the stocks.
Atlantic Coal () was smokin? after reporting record production from its Stockton anthracite mine in Pennsylvania, USA.
Shares streaked up 16% after it produced 161,500 tonnes of clean coal from Stockton, a 61% increase, while run-of-mine (ROM) production of anthracite doubled to 417,000 tonnes.
Steve Best, Atlantic?s managing director, said Stockton is now one of the top five anthracite producers in Pennsylvania and should improve its performance even more this year as the benefits of recent investment come through.
Cluff Natural Resources () shares made their second straight day of gains after chairman and CEO Algy Cluff bought 500,000 shares in the company at 4.479p each for ?22,395.
It means he now owns around 12% of the capital, sending the stock up 20% to 5.25p.
Non-executive director Brian FitzGerald followed Algy?s lead, buying 200,000 shares at an average price of 5.6p.
Nickel explorer African Eagle Resources () and power company Kedco () followed them north, up 12% and 19% respectively.
ANGLE (), one of yesterday?s star performers, rose another 6% today after receiving a ?178,000 settlement payment relating to the deferred consideration due on the sale of its portfolio company Acolyte Biomedica.
Yesterday the speciality medtech company?s share price more than doubled when it unveiled a new use for its Parsortix cancer diagnostic test.
Weatherly International () slumped 13.5% after production in the latest quarter slipped to 5,780 tonnes of copper concentrate from 6,499 tonnes in the previous quarter.
Cyan () was in the blue, up 7%, after it flagged up a report from IMS Research which predicts that by 2016 half the world?s utility meter revenues will be generated by smart meters of the kind being developed by the AIM listed technology company.
Cyan has developed a flexible wireless technology and its CyLec units are currently undergoing pilot trials in the city of Tiruchchirappalli in India?s Tamil Nadu state.
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