FTSE 250 movers: Miners gain while bankers lose out

The FTSE 250 index fell 0.26% to 18,103.13 in the late afternoon.

Hochschild Mining climbed as it reached an agreement with a local community at its Pallancata mine in Peru to allow the silver and gold mine to reopen this week.

Fellow miners Ferrexpo and Kaz Minerals also rose on the back of a 0.61% rise in copper and the price of iron ore going up marginally to $78.2/t from $78/t.

Housebuilder Bovis Homes rallied following a Sunday Times report that one of its larger shareholders has suggested Berkeley Group may mount a bid for the company.

Food travel experts SSP Group got a boost after Jefferies upgraded its stock to 'buy' rating based on the food and drink concession operator's "sizzling solid potential" from structural changes in the US and UK.

Petra diamonds was in the red despite its production going up 24% to 2,015,087 carats for the six months ended 31 December 2016. Diamonds sales also rose 47% for the period to 1,910,113 carats, and in line with previous years, with the second half is expected to be a stronger sales period.

Oil industry service providers Amec Foster Wheeler and Hunting were under the cosh as oil prices took a dive.

Banks Shawbrook and Aldermore are down as after Trump’s inauguration speech sent yields lower and after a survey showed optimism among the UK’s lenders and money managers fell for the fourth consecutive quarter.

The survey of 103 financial services firms by business group CBI and accounting firm PwC revealed the longest period of falling business sentiment since the worst days of the 2008 financial crisis. It found that nine out of 10 cited Brexit as their main challenge.

Risers

Hochschild Mining (HOC) 247.60p 9.65%
Ferrexpo (FXPO) 135.80p 4.38%
SSP Group (SSPG) 407.50p 4.22%
Bovis Homes Group (BVS) 822.50p 3.20%
Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 422.90p 3.07%
Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 2,860.00p 2.62%
AO World (AO.) 162.00p 2.14%
Safestore Holdings (SAFE) 367.00p 2.14%
G4S (GFS) 251.00p 1.95%
Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 86.20p 1.77%

Fallers

Hunting (HTG) 591.00p -4.29%
Amec Foster Wheeler (AMFW) 458.80p -3.41%
Inmarsat (ISAT) 636.50p -2.97%
Pets at Home Group (PETS) 199.30p -2.88%
Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 1,127.00p -2.84%
Virgin Money Holdings (UK) (VM.) 296.70p -2.72%
Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 152.40p -2.43%
Shawbrook Group (SHAW) 237.00p -2.07%
Dairy Crest Group (DCG) 604.50p -2.03%
Aldermore Group (ALD) 211.50p -1.99%