FTSE 100 movers: Intertek hit by downgrade, miners higher

The FTSE 100 was buoyed by a tentative recovery in metal prices, strong construction data and gains in the pharmaceuticals, insurance and telecommunications sectors on Thursday.

As of 15:00 BST, London's blue chip index was trading 0.5% higher at 6,638.

BP led the index higher after a robust rally after agreeing to pay an $18.7bn settlement over its 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Miners Glencore, Anglo American and BHP Billiton were lifted as metal prices tentatively recovered from a three-day decline.

Dixons Carphone also rose strongly after entering into an agreement with Sprint Corp to open and manage a significant number of Sprint-branded stores in the US.

Product testing outfit Intertek was out of favour after Jefferies lowered its stance on the shares to ‘underperform’ and cut its target price from 2,400p to 2,100p.

ITV was in the red after Ofcom’s public service broadcaster review deemed that the regulation of re-transmission fees in the UK, which ITV has called for, would be ‘complicated’.

A number of blue chips were trading in the red after going ex-dividend, including Babcock, Burberry, Coca-Cola and Royal Mail.

Risers
BP (BP.) 438.35p +4.58%
Anglo American (AAL) 928.00p +1.97%
RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 410.30p +1.86%
AstraZeneca (AZN) 4,187.00p +1.61%
Glencore (GLEN) 257.05p +1.60%
Dixons Carphone (DC.) 465.50p +1.46%
HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 579.00p +1.42%
Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,053.00p +1.35%
BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,277.00p +1.35%
SSE (SSE) 1,558.00p +1.30%

Fallers
Intertek Group (ITRK) 2,388.00p -3.01%
ARM Holdings (ARM) 1,034.00p -2.73%
Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,071.00p -2.72%
Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,139.00p -2.57%
Royal Mail (RMG) 505.50p -2.32%
Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,557.00p -2.14%
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 492.00p -2.09%
G4S (GFS) 267.80p -1.69%
Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,358.00p -1.59%
Inmarsat (ISAT) 918.00p -1.50%