Shares end the day with firm gains
END-OF-DAY REPORT: Headline shares ended the day with firm gains, with commodity issues underpinning the main index, offsetting falls in supermarket operators as Asda fueled the price war by slashing petrol and diesel prices.
At the close of business, the FTSE100 was up 46.44 points at 5,155.84 with the FTSE250 ahead 54.38 points at 9,677.94 and the FTSE Smallcaps marginally better at 2,751.14.
LONDON MARKETS
Gains in London were supported by a strong showing from the mining sector as metals prices firmed.
Kazakhmys was the star player, topping the FTSE leaderboard, up 56p at 1,129p, after reporting group EBITDA was up 87% at $1.342bn in the first half-year.
In the Midlands, financial services software supplier eg solutions made strong gains as did fastener manufacturer Trifast and home furishings retailer Dunelm.
Henderson Morley continued its rollercoaster ride , this time descending, while eg rival Focus Solutions was also among the fallers .
