Sector movers: Balfour Beatty builds gains

23rd Dec 2009 08:39

Balfour Beatty helps lift the construction and materials sector higher after the support services contracting firm said it has won a facilities management contract from defence technology outfit QinetiQ.The seven year contract has a base-line value of £15m per annum, and will be supplemented with additional fees for non-core services.Balfour Beatty will be managing facilities across 31 QinetiQ sites in the UK, and will be expected to provide greater efficiencies and cost savings.Mining is also higher. Pangea DiamondFields is the best percentage riser in the sector after saying it completed an upgrade of processing facilities at its Cassanguidi project in Angola but lowered its production targets.In the FTSE 100, silver miner Fresnillo climbs after its 56% owned joint venture Minera Penmont made a bid to snatch Canadian mining company Canplats Resources from bullion producer Goldcorp. Rio Tinto is higher after saying it has accepted a $2.025bn offer for its Alcan Packaging pharmaceutical, tobacco and food divisions from the packaging group Amcor as it continues its programme of asset sales to ease its debt pile.Top performing sectors so far todayConstruction & Materials 3,326.23 +1.51%Mining 20,953.08 +0.98%Tobacco 24,501.11 +0.83%Banks 4,723.34 +0.80%Industrial Engineering 3,860.14 +0.70%Bottom performing sectors so far todayFixed Line Telecommunications 1,978.27 -0.70%Industrial Transportation 1,906.29 -0.51%Chemicals 4,439.83 -0.16%Forestry & Paper 3,500.69 -0.15%Food & Drug Retailers 4,693.36 -0.13%