FTSE inches higher as miners rally

By Kit Rees LONDON (Reuters) - UK shares gained on Wednesday, helped by a rally among mining firms which tracked commodities prices higher, though volumes remained thin in the final trading days of the year. The blue chip FTSE 100 index was up 0.5 percent at 7,100.55 points by 1211 GMT, reaching its highest level since October. Mining stocks were the biggest gainers, up 3.5 percent and helped by a firmer oil price and a rally in copper, with which mining shares tend to be closely correlated.