Sector movers: Miners boosted by metals and updates

25th Nov 2009 11:18

Higher metals prices have given miners a boost. With copper prices, which have been hitting 14-month highs lately, on the rise again, big industrial metal miners such as BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Kazakhmys are higher.Smaller companies are helping lift the sector higher on the back of well-received updates. Shares in Beowulf, which owns mineral exploration projects in Sweden, have continued their upward ascent of recent days after saying it had been granted a licence to explore a molybdenum deposit.South African coal miner Strategic Natural Resources said its 74%-owned subsidiary Elitheni Coal has more than doubled its coal prospecting rights area after being awarded additional exclusive rights in the Eastern Cape Coalfield. However, on the downside, Kopane Diamonds which mines for the gemstones in Lesotho and South Africa, is lower after it posted a fall in revenues in the year to June 30 as it suspended production after a sharp fall in prices.News from the food sector has been mostly badly received and the sector is lower. Greencore, the Irish convenience food group licensed to make Heinz pickles and Bisto Yorkshire puddings, is among the fallers after it posted a sharp fall in profits in the year to September 25 as sales declined. Cake maker Finsbury Foods is at the bottom of the pile after saying cake sales have been underperforming the overall market.Top performing sectors so far todayForestry & Paper 3,578.25 +2.31%Travel & Leisure 3,959.15 +1.68%Mining 20,900.29 +1.05%Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology 8,580.91 +1.05%Electricity 6,305.47 +0.98%Bottom performing sectors so far todayChemicals 4,488.52 -1.73%Food Producers & Processors 4,666.87 -1.01%Oil Equipment Services & Distribution 15,204.15 -0.94%General Financial 5,310.55 -0.81%Personal Goods 10,251.71 -0.50%