Investors shrugged off the impact of terrorist attacks in Europe this morning as the FTSE 100 remained flat, up only 0.59 points at 7.017.75.
Leisure stocks were largely unaffected by last night’s attack on a Berlin Christmas market, with shares in easyJet up 5p, or 0.48 per cent, to £10.39 at midday, while IAG, the owner of British Airways, nudged up 0.5p, or 0.11 per cent, to 455.25p.
Others in the holiday sector were down marginally, with shares in InterContinental Hotels Group falling 18p, or 0.51 per cent, to £35.06, while TUI Group, the owner of Thomson Holidays with headquarters in Hanover, was down 1p, or 0.09 per cent, to £11.22.
Elsewhere on the top index Lloyds Banking Group led the risers, jumping 1.57p, or 2.51 per cent, to 64.13 after the bank announced the £1.9 billion acquisition of the credit card business MBNA. The deal also sent the shares of Barclays and RBS higher.
Barratt Developments led a surge in construction shares this morning, rising 7.2p, or 1.56 per cent, to 468.5p. Persimmon shares were up 16p, or 0.93 per cent, to £17.35, followed by Taylor Wimpey, which was up 1.3p, or 0.85 per cent, to 155p.
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It was a mixed result for pharmaceuticals in early trading, with AstraZeneca shares rising 44.5p, or 1.03 per cent, to £43.48, bouncing back from yesterday’s 2.22 per cent drop on the departure of the company’s head of oncology. GlaxoSmithKline stocks were also up, rising 6.5 p, or 0.42 per cent, to £15.39, as it revealed positive HIV drug trial results.
Taking the biggest hit this morning was ConvaTec as shares dropped 3.5 p, or 1.53 per cent, to 225.55p, and it was joined on the fallers board by a range of mining stocks. The gold miner Randgold Resources was down 75p, or 1.31 per cent, to £56.35, and Glencore dropped 3.1p, or 1.15 per cent, to 265.4p. Fresnillio fell by 12p, or 01.08 per cent, to £11.02.