London midday: Vodafone leads UK markets higher, but resource stocks weigh

11th Nov 2014 11:34

Strong gains from Vodafone and a string of property companies pushed UK shares into positive territory on Tuesday, though weakness in the resource sectors was limiting upside as the stock market fluctuated at a six-week high.The FTSE 100 was up just 0.1% at 6,618 by midday, having pulled back slightly after hitting an intraday high of 6,632.57 early on.Investors were treading cautiously after the index closed Monday's session at 6,611.25, its first finish above 6,600 since 30 September.Across the Atlantic, both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average benchmark indices closed at record highs again on Monday evening.Market analyst Jasper Lawler from CMC Markets said to expect "another day of drift [...] as investors wait for more fundamental catalysts later in the week at home and abroad".No major economic data was due out in the States due to the Veteran's Day holiday, though the equity markets will still be open. Stock futures on Wall Street were up around 0.1% across the board ahead of the opening bell.Vodafone and real estate stocks gainVodafone shares surged nearly 6% after the mobile telecoms group impressed with its interim results and outlook, with earnings guidance for the full year now guided towards the higher end of expectations. Strong consumer demand for data helped revenues rise 8.9% in the six months to 30 September to £20.8bn, marginally ahead of forecasts.Land Securities wasn't far behind after reporting a massive increase in profits in its first half and a higher net asset value, saying that its portfolio is "now in much stronger shape". Pre-tax profit totalled £1,031m in the six months to 30 September, compared with just £397.9m the year before.Others in the property sector including British Land and Hammerson were also in demand.Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey was also wanted as it upgraded its margin guidance for the full year ahead of analysts' expectations as it hailed healthy demand in the UK housing market. Analyst Robin Hardy from Shore Capital said that Tuesday's update was "the most positive so far this season".Leading the downside were oil producers Tullow Oil and Shell, and mining counterparts Fresnillo, Anglo American, Randgold, Rio Tinto, Antofagasta and BHP Billiton as commodity prices weakened. Brent oil was trading at a four-year low, while Citigroup dampened sentiment amongst the miners after cutting its forecast for iron ore prices.Renishaw jumped 10% as the engineering firm beat forecasts with its full-year guidance, saying that it continues to see "strong demand" across its product lines. The engineering group expects a 35-50% increase in adjusted full-year profits, ahead of the 20% growth expected by analysts.Building-materials firm CRH declined after saying that like-for-like sales growth slowed to 3% in the third quarter from 5% in the first half. Market MoverstechMARK 2,829.23 +0.86%FTSE 100 6,617.93 +0.10%FTSE 250 15,618.49 +0.14%FTSE 100 - RisersVodafone Group (VOD) 219.75p +5.73%Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 263.10p +3.30%Land Securities Group (LAND) 1,144.00p +2.97%easyJet (EZJ) 1,586.00p +2.19%Aggreko (AGK) 1,572.00p +2.08%Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,102.00p +2.04%G4S (GFS) 268.70p +1.90%Admiral Group (ADM) 1,216.00p +1.76%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 420.30p +1.55%Whitbread (WTB) 4,409.00p +1.54%FTSE 100 - FallersTullow Oil (TLW) 486.00p -4.33%Fresnillo (FRES) 716.00p -2.58%CRH (CRH) 1,350.00p -2.53%Sports Direct International (SPD) 640.00p -2.51%Rio Tinto (RIO) 2,951.00p -2.41%Anglo American (AAL) 1,329.00p -2.32%BG Group (BG.) 1,035.50p -1.89%Antofagasta (ANTO) 703.50p -1.68%BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,644.50p -1.64%Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 2,200.00p -1.54%FTSE 250 - RisersRenishaw (RSW) 1,942.00p +9.84%Cairn Energy (CNE) 183.90p +3.90%Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 121.30p +3.41%Moneysupermarket.com Group (MONY) 203.00p +2.94%Micro Focus International (MCRO) 1,039.00p +2.47%Bank of Georgia Holdings (BGEO) 2,357.00p +2.43%Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY) 105.00p +2.24%Croda International (CRDA) 2,412.00p +2.20%Northgate (NTG) 484.80p +2.06%PayPoint (PAY) 935.00p +1.96%FTSE 250 - FallersOcado Group (OCDO) 312.90p -5.72%Afren (AFR) 78.35p -4.97%TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 282.00p -4.92%Premier Oil (PMO) 247.10p -3.70%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 205.00p -3.21%Supergroup (SGP) 853.00p -2.85%Foxtons Group (FOXT) 166.20p -2.81%Lonmin (LMI) 189.70p -2.72%EnQuest (ENQ) 70.10p -2.64%Centamin (DI) (CEY) 49.83p -2.49%