Leading shares end lower in choppy trade
A seesaw session led to a mixed close on the UK market as commodity sector gains offset banking sector losses
The FTSE 100 index shed 13.8 points to close at 4,468.4, down 0.3%, as 52 gainers and 48 fallers vied to offset each other. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 index crept up 0.5% or 35.7 points to 7,734.0.
Comments from the International Monetary Fund weighed on market sentiment in early afternoon deals after the IMF said the UK recession is lessening but that conditions remain that will likely make any recovery a subdued affair.
The findings of Merrill Lynch’s Fund Manager Survey for May, released today, echoed these comments, with the majority of managers questioned expecting to see global economic growth over the next 12 months but the feeling remained that a recovery will be muted.
In other economic news, official figures revealed consumer price inflation fell further than expected in April, down 2.3% on the year to its lowest level since early 2008, but rose by 0.2% month-on-month.
Turning to individual equity movers, with newsflow light on the ground, investors appeared to be hovering on the sidelines in need of some impetus.
Lloyds Banking Group was the worst performer, even allowing for adjustments to its share price to account for the right to buy into its £4 billion fund raising. Lloyds shares were adjusted to 76.6p after closing at 100.3p on Tuesday, but a 5.9% fall during Wednesday’s session saw the stock close at 70.5p. Banks felt the pressure across the board, but a Credit Suisse target price cut on Lloyds certainly didn’t help.
HSBC fell back 2.4% to 561.5p, Standard Chartered slipped 2.0% to 1,259p, Royal Bank of Scotland eased 1.6% to 42.4p and Barclays edged 0.4% lower to 293.5p.
Lloyds apart, three of the top index’s worst performers were retailers as investors continued to move out of the sector following Marks & Spencer’s results yesterday. M&S dropped an additional 5.7% on Wednesday to 294p after an 8% fall in the previous session, while Sainsbury lost 4.8% to 329.25p and Home Retail Group came down by 4.3% to 241p.
Insurers and financial services issues joined in the downward trend, with interdealer broker ICAP, life insurer Prudential and wealth manager Man Group each shedding 3.5%-4.3%.
Not all was financial doom and gloom however, gold extractors rallied on the back of a fresh surge in the price of the yellow metal, while extended gains in black gold fuelled further gains in oil producers.
Nine of the top 12 FTSE 100 risers were mining plays, headed by Lonmin, Vedanta Resources and Fresnillo, taking on 5.7%-8.1% apiece, while oil and gas producers Cairn Energy, Royal Dutch Shell and BG Group added 1.1%-1.5%.
Pharmaceuticals were favoured for their defensive qualities, which saw Shire and AstraZeneca climb up a respective 2.6% to 919p and 1.4% to 2,635p.
Shifting the focus to the mid-caps, Britvic was in fine fettle after the soft drinks manufacturer and distributor topped expectations for its first-half results and offered encouraging signs for its second half performance.
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