Resource stocks add weight to FTSE rally Resource stocks joined London's steady and sustained late-year rally on Wednesday, lifting the FTSE 100"s chances of remaining near its best levels of 2012. London's main index added just 7 points in opening trade, taking it to 5,931.84, but the make-up of the leaderboard looked more convincing for the bulls. There were four miners in prominent positions on the list of the top 10 biggest gainers, led by Anglo American, which took first place, rising 1.6 per cent to £18.62. The heavily weighted sector was noticeably absent from the previous session's modest advance, and without its support the FTSE 100"s chances of ending the year around its peak reading are significantly slimmer. Traders were encouraged by hope that the Federal Reserve would act to provide fresh stimulus to the US economy. It outweighed fears that legislators may be unable to unwind the threat of the fiscal cliff, the $600bn package of spending cuts and tax rises scheduled to come into effect next year. "Most major stock markets are remaining at or near their highs of the year on optimism that the Fed will jump once again into action tonight and provide the US economy with another leg-up to kick start growth in 2013," Markus Huber, a trader at ETX Capital, said. Once the final Fed meeting of the year is over and done with tonight there won't be much else left to focus on except the budget negotiations, which also could mean if there isn't any substantial progress soon that investors will increasingly have to face up to the fact that the US might just go over the fiscal cliff after all. Washington politicians continued to cast a shadow of uncertainty over financial stocks, which missed out on the wider gains. Lloyds Banking Group led the sector lower, falling 0.7 per cent to 46.2p, one of the biggest losses on the top tier. There were some signs of pressure on the high street, coming in the middle of the peak pre-Christmas trading season for the sector. Mid-cap fashion chain Supergroup fell to the bottom of the FTSE 250, down 6 per cent to 561.9p, after it reported sharply lower interim profits. Earnings fell from £20.3m to £13.9m, missing forecasts. Andrew Wade, analyst at Numis Securities, said: "In all, at first glance this appears a disappointing update, with earnings below expectations, and current trading looking light." Overall, London's second tier index was flat at 12,188.51.