London’s FTSE 250 was flat at 22,655.86 in afternoon trade on Wednesday.
WH Smith rallied after the retailer said revenues remained below pre-pandemic levels and that it was taking a small hit from the Omicron variant, but forecast a resumption in the recovery of its travel markets.
Watches of Switzerland was on the rise after an upbeat update from French luxury goods group Richemont, which posted a jump in sales at its jewellery brands.
Johnson Matthey was boosted by a rating upgrade at Panmure Gordon, but Liontrust Asset Management fell even as it reported a rise in third-quarter assets under management.
FTSE 250 – Risers
WH Smith (SMWH) 1,662.00p 7.05%
Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG) 1,290.00p 6.09%
Hochschild Mining (HOC) 123.20p 4.94%
BlackRock World Mining Trust (BRWM) 679.00p 4.62%
Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,024.00p 4.41%
Endeavour Mining (EDV) 1,695.00p 4.31%
Petropavlovsk (POG) 15.32p 3.79%
Ferrexpo (FXPO) 262.40p 3.14%
National Express Group (NEX) 268.60p 3.07%
Games Workshop Group (GAW) 8,285.00p 3.05%
FTSE 250 – Fallers
Wood Group (John) (WG.) 230.20p -4.28%
Harbour Energy (HBR) 361.80p -4.08%
TUI AG Reg Shs (DI) (TUI) 244.50p -3.74%
Darktrace (DARK) 417.80p -3.69%
Liontrust Asset Management (LIO) 1,730.00p -3.67%
Carnival (CCL) 1,450.40p -2.79%
Countryside Properties (CSP) 329.40p -2.77%
Baillie Gifford Japan Trust (BGFD) 881.00p -2.76%
PureTech Health (PRTC) 281.50p -2.60%
JPMorgan Japanese Inv Trust (JFJ) 579.00p -2.53%
