FTSE 100 movers: Randgold, Fresnillo lead miners higher

16th Aug 2013 14:28

Gold and silver prices cemented recent gains on Friday due to safe-haven demand, pushing shares prices in the mining sector higher in afternoon trade. Precious metals peers Randgold Resources and Fresnillo were standout performers as gold edged closer to a two-month high while silver stayed flat at the three-month high reached yesterday.Sector peers Anglo American, Glencore Xstrata, Vedanta and Antofagastawere also making gains with rumours of a new stimulus package in China doing the rounds this morning.Even BHP Billiton rose slightly despite the announcement that it could face enforcement action as part of the US regulatory probe linked in part to the hospitality it provided during its sponsorship of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.Housing and construction stocks were also higher today, pulling back after bearing the brunt of the sell-off on Thursday. According to analysts at Spreadex, housing shares fell yesterday after "economists warned that the Help-to-Buy scheme could stoke a new property boom as more buyers start chasing sales with opportunistic landlords fuelling the recent market rebound". Housebuilder Persimmon and building supplies firm Travis Perkins were recovering today after recent falls.Insurance group Aviva was in the red after Exane BNP Paribas cut its rating for the stock from 'outperform' to 'neutral', saying it sees limited upside after a recent strong run.Sector peer Prudential however edged higher after Nomura raised its target price and said it remains its top pick in the sector.FTSE 100 - RisersRandgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 5,195.00p +6.24%Persimmon (PSN) 1,158.00p +5.56%Fresnillo (FRES) 1,176.00p +4.53%Anglo American (AAL) 1,527.50p +2.14%Glencore Xstrata (GLEN) 307.65p +1.94%Tullow Oil (TLW) 1,049.00p +1.55%Vedanta Resources (VED) 1,228.00p +1.15%Old Mutual (OML) 197.00p +1.13%Travis Perkins (TPK) 1,570.00p +1.09%Antofagasta (ANTO) 940.00p +1.08%FTSE 100 - FallersTUI Travel (TT.) 357.30p -1.49%Standard Life (SL.) 344.30p -1.49%William Hill (WMH) 420.40p -1.45%Experian (EXPN) 1,186.00p -1.41%Wood Group (John) (WG.) 879.50p -1.40%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 303.90p -1.36%WPP (WPP) 1,155.00p -1.11%Aviva (AV.) 399.90p -1.09%ARM Holdings (ARM) 865.00p -1.09%Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,143.00p -1.04%BC