FTSE 100 movers: Sky rockets while miners are in the dirt

The FTSE 100 index was up 0.72% at 6,939.73 in the late afternoon.

Shares in Sky continued to gain altitude after it received a bid on 9 December from Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox at 1075p per share for the 61% of the company it did not already own. Reuters reported that the two companies have agreed to press ahead with a scheme of arrangement, wherein shareholders will be asked to vote on whether to go through with the deal. Speculation about the potential for a takeover at ITV sent its shares up as well.

UK house prices grew 0.1% in the year to October, recovering slightly after a fall in the wake of the Brexit vote, sending shares in housebuilder Taylor Wimpey up. Its stock was also benefitting from fellow housebuilder Bellway’s 7% jump in reservations.

Tesco was in the red despite its market share growing over the last three months, according to grocery market data released on Tuesday that also revealed that its listed supermarket rivals Sainsbury's and Morrisons both saw sales fall.

The price of gold fell 0.62% sending shares in gold miners Rio Tinto, Antofagasta and Randgold Resources down.

The orange metal was also down 1.28% sending copper miner Anglo American into the red.

Risers

ITV (ITV) 191.80p 3.56%
Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 672.50p 3.30%
Compass Group (CPG) 1,391.00p 2.81%
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 444.40p 2.75%
Shire Plc (SHP) 4,399.00p 1.95%
Sky (SKY) 990.00p 1.85%
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 3,431.00p 1.84%
Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 152.30p 1.80%
BT Group (BT.A) 352.95p 1.80%
Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,471.00p 1.80%

Fallers

Antofagasta (ANTO) 751.50p -2.97%
Tesco (TSCO) 206.75p -2.87%
Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,611.00p -2.01%
Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,630.00p -1.93%
BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,382.00p -1.32%
Standard Life (SL.) 356.70p -1.05%
Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,213.50p -0.97%
Anglo American (AAL) 1,198.50p -0.95%
Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,210.00p -0.90%
Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 5,750.00p -0.52%