- Rio Tinto
- 14 August 2025 17:55:53
Source: Sharecast
The FTSE 100 index rose 0.13% to 9,177.24 points, supported by gains in a handful of blue-chip stocks, while the FTSE 250 slipped 0.23% to 21,801.67 points.
“The FTSE 100 dipped from yesterday’s record close on Thursday morning after gains on Wall Street and mixed trading in Asia overnight,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
“The index was also held back as several big names traded without the rights to their most recently declared dividends.”
In currency markets, sterling was last down 0.35% on the dollar to trade at $1.3528, while it strengthened 0.22% against the euro, changing hands at €1.1623.
Mould noted that “recent strength in the pound against the dollar is not particularly helpful for the FTSE 100 given it negatively affects the relative value of its dominant overseas earnings.”
UK growth slows in second quarter, still above expectations
In economic news, UK growth slowed in the second quarter but outperformed expectations, according to fresh data from the Office for National Statistics.
Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 0.3% in the three months to June, from 0.7% in the first quarter and above forecasts for a 0.1% rise.
Patrick Munnelly at TickMill said the upside surprise was “driven by June’s robust performance, with 0.4% month-on-month growth compared to the anticipated 0.2%, alongside a revision of May’s contraction to a milder -0.1%.”
However, he warned that “nearly all - 0.27 percentage points - came from government consumption, while household consumption contributed just 0.06 percentage points. Investment overall was stagnant, concealing a notable 0.41 percentage point drag from declining business investment.”
Growth was supported by a 0.4% increase in services and a 1.2% gain in construction, while production fell 0.3%.
June alone saw 0.4% growth, led by services such as scientific research and development, engineering and car sales.
ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown said the economy “was weak across April and May ... but then recovered strongly in June.”
The UK housing market meanwhile showed signs of stalling in July, with buyer demand and agreed sales turning negative, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported.
RICS said the net balance of new buyer enquiries fell to -6% from +4% in June, while agreed sales dropped to -16% from -4%.
On the continent, eurozone GDP growth slowed to 0.1% in the second quarter from 0.6% in the first, Eurostat confirmed.
Annual growth was 1.4%, with Ireland recording the strongest year-on-year gain at 16.2%.
Separately, eurozone industrial production fell 1.3% in June, reversing May’s gain.
Across the Atlantic, US initial jobless claims eased to 224,000 in the week ended 9 August, below expectations, while producer price inflation accelerated sharply in July to its fastest annual pace since February.
Ex-divs prove a drag, Admiral jumps on record first-half profit
On London’s equity markets, ex-dividend trading weighed on several blue-chip names, with Rio Tinto down 4.02%, GSK off 1.39%, Hikma Pharmaceuticals 1.21% lower, BP down 1.03%, Fresnillo slipping 0.71% and Unilever falling 1.2%.
Diploma dropped 2.85% after announcing the immediate resignation of chief financial officer Chris Davies.
“Distribution group Diploma, usually a pretty solid citizen, was under pressure as its finance chief resigned following a ‘lapse in judgement’ at a recent company event,” Mould noted.
Gambling operator Rank Group fell 4.25% despite reporting higher full-year revenue and profit, while Savills slid 5.64% after a weaker second-quarter transactional market offset a strong start to the year.
On the upside, Admiral Group jumped 6.65% after posting a record £521m in first-half pre-tax profit from continuing operations, up 69% year-on-year.
Mould said Admiral was “supported by a strong showing in its motor insurance business” and that “the strength of its brand allows it to remain disciplined on price while still attracting new business.”
Aviva rose 2.55% as operating profit grew 22% in the first half, driven by higher prices and premium income.
Mould said the group “looks to be building from a strong base” under chief executive Amanda Blanc, noting that its integration of Direct Line is “moving at pace” and that it is “sticking with its guidance for a 10% uplift in earnings from the deal.”
Centrica gained 3.7% after it and Energy Capital Partners agreed to buy National Grid’s Grain LNG business for £1.66bn.
Mould described it as “a strategically important asset which offers long-term cash flow linked to inflation,” adding that the transaction “could be a win for both parties.”
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Market Movers
FTSE 100 (UKX) 9,177.24 0.13%
FTSE 250 (MCX) 21,801.67 -0.23%
techMARK (TASX) 5,274.91 0.21%
FTSE 100 - Risers
Admiral Group (ADM) 3,560.00p 6.65%
Centrica (CNA) 168.10p 3.70%
Aviva (AV.) 675.80p 2.55%
BAE Systems (BA.) 1,775.00p 2.51%
Babcock International Group (BAB) 988.00p 2.17%
NATWEST GROUP (NWG) 553.40p 2.10%
Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 1,101.50p 1.85%
National Grid (NG.) 1,051.50p 1.79%
Games Workshop Group (GAW) 15,440.00p 1.71%
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) 9,300.00p 1.68%
FTSE 100 - Fallers
Rio Tinto (RIO) 4,481.00p -4.02%
Beazley (BEZ) 776.50p -2.94%
Diploma (DPLM) 5,290.00p -2.85%
Persimmon (PSN) 1,100.50p -2.52%
Anglo American (AAL) 2,123.00p -1.67%
Halma (HLMA) 3,232.00p -1.64%
Shell (SHEL) 2,628.00p -1.55%
Barratt Redrow (BTRW) 378.70p -1.41%
GSK (GSK) 1,415.00p -1.39%
Associated British Foods (ABF) 2,273.00p -1.39%
FTSE 250 - Risers
W.A.G Payment Solutions (WPS) 87.80p 5.53%
Ocado Group (OCDO) 371.00p 4.86%
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 75.75p 3.48%
VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd. (VOF) 491.00p 2.29%
Frasers Group (FRAS) 700.50p 2.26%
Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 1,842.00p 2.16%
Drax Group (DRX) 694.00p 2.06%
IP Group (IPO) 59.50p 1.88%
Quilter (QLT) 167.40p 1.76%
Telecom Plus (TEP) 1,860.00p 1.64%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Savills (SVS) 920.00p -5.64%
Harbour Energy (HBR) 226.60p -4.79%
Rank Group (RNK) 139.60p -4.25%
Assura (AGR) 47.34p -4.17%
The Renewables Infrastructure Group Limited (TRIG) 77.80p -3.83%
Abrdn (ABDN) 195.30p -3.51%
Keller Group (KLR) 1,324.00p -3.36%
Genuit Group (GEN) 357.00p -3.25%
Investec (INVP) 537.00p -3.25%
Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) 212.40p -3.01%