London open: Stocks inch higher, but gains limited early on

UK stocks edged higher on Tuesday morning ahead of a busy day for economic data, with B&Q owner Kingfisher leading the rise early on.

The FTSE 100 was up 0.1% at 6,896.06, extending gains after snapping a four-day losing streak on Monday.

Asian stocks rose on Tuesday after Beijing unveiled new measures to support the Chinese housing market. Curbs on lending and tax policies were eased in an effort to stop a downturn which has dampened economic growth.

However, gains were in London only modest with investors treading cautiously on the last day of the first quarter. Analyst Craig Erlam from Oanda said quarter-end can bring about "some unusual trading activity" as investors balance their books. "The fact that we’re also approaching the end of the financial year may also feed into this," he said.

Uncertainty in Greece was also limiting upside after leaders failed to agree on a package of reforms with lenders. Germany has said that proposed reforms from Athens must "add up".

A flurry of economic data from the UK is also due for release on Tuesday, including consumer confidence, balance of payments, and the final estimate of fourth-quarter gross domestic product.

German unemployment data revealed that the jobless rate hit an all-time low of 6.4% in March, while retail data from the country also smashed expectations. Meanwhile, Eurozone consumer prices will also be in focus and are predicted to have fallen at an annual rate of 0.1% in March after a 0.3% decline in February.

Kingfisher and Antofagasta gain

DIY retailer Kingfisher impressed investors with plans to close 60 stores, as new chief executive Véronique Laury announced full year results and set out her plans for a "very different" company. The company announced a £200m cash return for the coming financial year as it revealed adjusted annual profits fell 7.5% to £675m last year.

Mining group Antofagasta was also higher after quashing rumours that it was looking to merge with copper producing peer Teck Resources.

British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco were lower on concerns that the Lorrillard-Reynolds merger will fall apart. Reynolds shareholder BAT had agreed to invest $4.7bn and was hoping to keep a 42% stake in the enlarged business, while Imperial was set to spend $7.1bn on a number of assets that the two US groups were selling.

Energy services outfit Wood Group rose after winning a major new contract with French oil giant Total in the UK Continental Shelf. The company said it was a five-year, multimillion-dollar contract which includes the option for two one-year extensions.

Market Movers
techMARK 3,189.22 +0.27%
FTSE 100 6,896.06 +0.07%
FTSE 250 17,290.08 +0.48%

FTSE 100 - Risers
Kingfisher (KGF) 381.50p +4.58%
Babcock International Group (BAB) 989.50p +2.75%
Weir Group (WEIR) 1,756.00p +2.57%
St James's Place (STJ) 955.00p +2.25%
Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,247.00p +2.21%
Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 2,216.00p +2.07%
Persimmon (PSN) 1,680.00p +2.00%
Travis Perkins (TPK) 1,977.00p +1.91%
Whitbread (WTB) 5,335.00p +1.81%
Carnival (CCL) 3,332.00p +1.77%

FTSE 100 - Fallers
Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 3,005.00p -2.05%
Meggitt (MGGT) 554.00p -1.60%
Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,745.00p -1.52%
Fresnillo (FRES) 692.00p -1.21%
British American Tobacco (BATS) 3,553.50p -1.14%
Friends Life Group Limited (FLG) 417.30p -1.09%
Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 4,763.00p -1.06%
Diageo (DGE) 1,884.00p -0.95%
Aviva (AV.) 545.00p -0.82%
Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 320.80p -0.77%

FTSE 250 - Risers
Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 220.80p +4.15%
SIG (SHI) 205.40p +4.05%
JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 494.80p +3.67%
Rentokil Initial (RTO) 139.70p +3.10%
RPC Group (RPC) 592.50p +2.51%
Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 146.40p +2.31%
Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 578.00p +2.30%
Home Retail Group (HOME) 171.60p +2.26%
Spirax-Sarco Engineering (SPX) 3,469.00p +2.12%
Computacenter (CCC) 697.50p +2.12%

FTSE 250 - Fallers
Mitie Group (MTO) 271.00p -7.32%
Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 2,338.00p -3.23%
Infinis Energy (INFI) 185.00p -2.06%
Vedanta Resources (VED) 520.00p -1.70%
Allied Minds (ALM) 681.00p -1.30%
Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY) 80.15p -1.29%
Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 971.00p -1.27%
AL Noor Hospitals Group (ANH) 1,013.00p -1.17%
Acacia Mining (ACA) 263.30p -1.01%
Betfair Group (BET) 2,264.00p -0.92%