Britain's top stock index higher

Britain's top stock index was higher at midday on Friday, helped by rebounding commodity stocks that helped outpace falls in real estate firms and retailers, with key U.S. jobs data due. London's blue-chip FTSE 100 index was up 27.21 points, or 0.5 percent to 5,854.99 by 1027 GMT. The market remained confined to a 200-point range established since markets peaked in early September after a summer rally fuelled by central bank stimulus. 'We are in this range for the short-term ... There is a flight to safety going on with oil and gold climbing again with uncertainty over the euro, Spain and the U.S. elections hanging over sentiment,' Shore Capital director Rupert Armitage said. The FTSE 100 was helped by a firm finish overnight in Asia, while early indications were for U.S. equities to open higher after employment data in the form of non-farm payrolls - the most important monthly release globally and due at 1230 GMT. Employers were forecast to have added 113,000 jobs in September, up from 96,000 in August, and with the unemployment rate edging up to 8.2 percent, a Reuters poll found. London-listed miners rose, with a sector index up 1.5 percent, leading the broader market higher. Mining stocks have underperformed in 2012, down 7.6 percent compared with a 4.6 percent rise for the FTSE 100. Integrated oils, which have also lagged this year, climbed 0.5 percent as the oil price continued to recover from as yet unexplained recent flash falls.