Sector movers: Oil and gas stocks rise, as big tobacco, REITs trade lower

At 1610 BST, the blue chip index was broadly flat at 6953.36 down a mere 0.22 points, as a class-action lawsuit in Canada ruled that British American Tobacco (down 2.21%) and two other cigarette makers should pay a combined C$15.6bn (£8.2bn) to smokers in "moral and punitive damages", the largest legal award in Canadian history.

With BATS' wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, and Imperial Tobacco (down 2.15%), liable for C$10.4bn (£5.47bn) of the total, including a provisional C$1.13bn, both companies are expected to appeal.

Meanwhile, REITs reversed yesterday’s gains with the headline segment index trading at 3,387.60, down 56.79 points or 1.65% as virtually all blue chips and major stocks took a hit. British Land’s planned launch of a £350m senior, unsecured convertible bonds offering due 2020, could not stem a sell-off with its shares down 1.95%.

The company plans to use the net proceeds to fund future acquisitions.

Rivals Workspace (down 1.32%), Shaftesbury (down 1.78%), Great Portland Estate (down 1.78%) and Land Securities (down 1.74%) traded sharply lower.

On the positive side, oil and gas, alongside related engineering stocks traded higher on a string of positive news, as Brent stabilised and the WTI rose back above the $60 per barrel level, with OPEC set to deliberate its oil production quota.

Oil giant BP (up 1.02%) was mulling new projects in Russia, according to comments made by chief executive Bob Dudley as cited by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Shares in Cairn Energy jumped 5% in intraday trading after Jefferies upgraded the stock to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ and raised the target price to 222p from 175p.

Additionally, shares in Premier Oil spike 7.56% after the company said it will consolidate production at the Solan field, West of Shetland, after taking full ownership of the project by acquiring the 40% stake it did not already own.

In trends of natural resources stocks trading higher, miner shrugged off uncertainty in China staying firmly in the green for most of the trading day. Anglo American (up 5.33%), Antofagasta (up 3.70%), Rio Tinto (up 3.12%), Glencore (up 2.52%) and BHP Billiton (2.43%) led the sector charge.

Top five sector risers:

Mining 14,180.93 +386.77 +2.80%
Oil & Gas Producers 7,169.79 +88.93 +1.26%
Industrial Engineering 9,541.31 +85.10 +0.90%
General Industrials 4,444.11 +30.89 +0.70%
Automobiles & Parts 8,639.15 +58.45 +0.68%