FTSE steadies near highs after mixed earnings

By Alistair Smout and Atul Prakash LONDON (Reuters) - The FTSE stayed within reach of all-time highs on Wednesday as traders digested mixed earnings news on a busy day of corporate updates. Weak numbers from the likes of British American Tobacco were partly counteracted by a boost from better-than-expected results from Next and others. "We have seen some mixed results today from UK companies, reinforcing our view that the earnings outlook for the United Kingdom is not as strong as it is for