LONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index gained 3.7 percent early on Friday after two days of sharp losses as investors looked to pick up cheap, heavily sold stocks, with banks and commodities leading the recovery.
By 0754 GMT the FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 143.0 points at 4,004.4, after closing 5.4 percent lower on Thursday. The index has lost 18 percent in October, on track for its biggest monthly fall since the 1987 crash and is down 38 percent this year. Heavily sold miners were among the biggest gainers, as metals prices, which have fallen sharply this week, recovered. gdbrook
