The FTSE 100 rose 11.5 points (0.2 percent), reaching 5,886 by 14:00. The FTSE 250 declined 14 points (0.1 percent) to 11,958 and the FTSE AIM 100 rose 6 points (0.15 percent) to 4,032.
Commodities trader Glencore (LON:GLEN) and engineering company IMI (LON:IMI) led the blue chips with gains of 2 percent. Energy company focused on India Essar Energy (LON:ESSR) and oil and gas engineering firm Petrofac (LON:PFC) climbed 1.5 percent, as did outsources Capita Group (LON:CPI) and satellite telecommunications firm Inmarsat (LON:ISAT).
International Airlines Group (LON:IAG) was among the heaviest fallers in the FTSE 100, dropping 2.5 percent. Cruise operator Carnival Corp (LON:CCL) and builders’ merchant Wolseley (LON:WOS) were down 2 percent and 1.5 percent respectively. Home improvement retailer Kingfisher (LON:KGF) shed just over 1 percent.
Communications group WPP (LON:WPP) was down 1 percent.
Oil & gas
Supermajors BP (LON:BP) and Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSB) were broadly flat, while Cairn Energy (LON:CNE) added 1.1 percent.
Soco International (LON:SIA) rose 2.4 percent to emerge as the top performing midcap. Premier Oil (LON:PMO) dipped 1 percent.
Top risers among the small caps in the sector included East and Central Africa focused exploration company Dominion Petroleum (LON:DPL) and US focused explorer Nostra Terra Oil & Gas (LON:NTOG), which added about 7 percent.
MENA region focused oil and gas exploration and production company Gulfsands Petroleum (LON:GPX) and Ukraine operating gas producer Regal Petroleum (LON:RPT) added 6 percent.
Mining
Major mining stocks weren’t very active today. FTSE 250 constituent Hochschild Mining (LON:HOC) was one of the heaviest fallers in the sector, sliding 8 percent.
Gold and copper focused exploration and development company focused on Kazakhstan Frontier Mining (LON:FML) and Fiji operating Vatukoula Gold Mines (LON:VGM) were among the best performers in the sector, surging 9.5 percent and 7.5 percent respectively.
Base metals focused miners Anglo American (LON:AAL) and Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) added 1 percent and Kazakhmys (LON:KAZ) rose 1.3 percent, while Xstrata (LON:XTA) dropped 1 percent.
Midcap Kenmare Resources (LON:KMR), whose main asset is the Moma titanium minerals mine in Mozambique, outperformed the sector today, rallying 3.5 percent.
Banks, insurance, private equity
Part-nationalised bank Lloyds (LON:LLOY) was at the bottom of the banking sector with a loss of nearly 3 percent. Barclays (LON:BARC) fell 1 percent.
Insurance companies were in decline. Aviva (LON:AV), Legal & General (LON:LGEN), RSA Insurance Group (LON:RSA) and Standard Life (LON:SL) lost 1 percent.