FTSE 100: Defensives help blue-chips higher ahead of jobs data Traders suggested that there were unlikely to be any drastic index movements until the American non-farm payrolls are released around lunchtime. Forecasts are for a rise by around 150,000 after a 200,000 increase in December, with the unemployment rate seen static at 8.5pc. "Unpredictable seasonal adjustments point to a wide range of expectations, but if the figures improve on the 200,000 seen in December, that could be the catalyst for the FTSE 100 to break and hold above 5,800," Jimmy Yates, head of equities at CMC Markets, said. "Less than 150,000 could see the FTSE 100 dip marginally, but there is support for riskier equities at the moment due to the liquidity boost provided by central banks," he said. With traders playing it safe ahead of the employment data, a smattering of defensives were in demand, with Imperial Tobacco rising 2pc and Vodafone gaining 1.4pc. That helped the FTSE 100 rise 25.6 points to 5821 and the FTSE 250 put on 39 points to 11125. Heading up the large-cap index was Admiral. After announcing that it has extended its existing UK car reinsurance partnerships until 2014, with the cost of its arrangements unchanged, the motor insurer leapt 8pc. Gaining ground too was BT as the telecoms giant pleased the market with its trading update. BT, which has offset falling revenues in recent years by deep cost cuts and an improving operational performance, said revenues for the three months were down 5pc but that earnings and cash generation remained good. But a retreat from the miners tempered the benchmark index's gains. Rio Tinto led the laggards, dropping 2.3pc while BHP Billiton shed 1.7pc and Kazakhmys lost 1.4pc. Glencore and Xstrata, which on Thursday announced plans for a $80bn marriage, shed 0.4pc and 0.5pc respectively.