London’s FTSE 100 was up 0.2% at 6,773.28 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Informa was the standout gainer, with traders pointing to news that Informa Markets’ World of Concrete (WOC) will be the first large show to return to Las Vegas in June, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Informa will also host several other trade shows in Las Vegas – such as the Vegas Cosmetic Surgery show and the International Roofing Expo – with plans to return other keystone events throughout the rest of the year.
On the downside, M&G was the worst performer as its stock went ex-dividend.
Ocado was also under the cosh even as the online supermarket said it expects positive revenue growth in the second quarter after reporting a 40% rise in revenue for the 13 weeks to the end of February as more Britons had their groceries delivered during the current national lockdown.
Engine maker Rolls-Royce lost ground, having rallied a day earlier after JPMorgan upgraded the shares to ‘neutral’ from ‘underweight’.
FTSE 100 – Risers
Informa (INF) 593.80p 3.27%
Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,757.00p 2.84%
Evraz (EVR) 555.00p 2.74%
DCC (CDI) (DCC) 6,114.00p 2.72%
Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI) (SKG) 3,410.00p 2.28%
Rio Tinto (RIO) 5,575.00p 2.11%
Rightmove (RMV) 566.80p 1.98%
HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 438.60p 1.86%
Imperial Brands (IMB) 1,459.00p 1.85%
WPP (WPP) 938.00p 1.85%
FTSE 100 – Fallers
M&G (MNG) 204.40p -4.53%
Ocado Group (OCDO) 1,989.00p -4.51%
Compass Group (CPG) 1,498.50p -2.69%
Spirax-Sarco Engineering (SPX) 11,265.00p -2.21%
Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 124.40p -2.20%
JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 843.60p -1.88%
Intertek Group (ITRK) 5,498.00p -1.86%
Associated British Foods (ABF) 2,420.00p -1.67%
Whitbread (WTB) 3,387.00p -1.51%
Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 2,307.00p -1.49%
