British FTSE 100 index traded close to flat on Tuesday, supported by mining shares and financials on the upside. India-oriented Essar Energy erased some of losses and climbed 4.3%. Nevertheless, Goldman Sachs downgraded Essar shares citing weak annual earnings and uncertain outlook. On negative side Barclays PLC dropped 0.2% on news lender might be forced to pay a GBP 500 million tax bill. GKN fell 5% after reporting its net profit for 2011 dropped to GBP 279 million compared to GBP 305 million in 2010. At the moment of writing FTSE 100 index trades 0.06% or 3.10 points lower at 5,912.13.