London open: Quiet start to New Year's Eve

31st Dec 2010 09:13

Shares are little changed in early dealings on what looks set to be an uneventful day's trading ahead of the New Year break.Miners are on the back foot again, with Rio Tinto and its fellow Australian iron ore specialist BHP Billiton among the fallers.However Mexican silver miner Fresnillo is higher for the second day in a row as the precious metal adds to gains having hit 30-year highs yesterday.In economic news, meanwhile, house prices rose against expectations in December. Building society Nationwide said the average price of a home rose by 0.4%, following a 0.3% drop the previous month.Housebuilder Redrow is another of today's prominent risers.