LONDON (ShareCast) - Insurers struggled as Societe Generale (Paris: FR0000130809 - news) cut its rating on Legal & General (3166.KL
- news) to "sell" from "hold" and slashed earnings forecasts for the current financial year and the next.
Friends Provident fell back in sympathy.
Copper miner Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO.L - news) was one of the top blue chip risers as metal prices improved, kept company by peer Eurasian Natural Resources.
It's also been a good day for information conglomerate Thomson (Paris: FR0000184533 - news) -Reuters, up after confirming it will scrap its London listing.
FTSE 100 - Risers
TUI Travel (LSE: TT.L - news) (TT.) 233.50p +3.89%
Antofagasta (ANTO) 576.50p +3.87%
Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC) 620.00p +3.68%
Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO - news) (TRIL) 1,690.00p +3.62%
British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSY) 444.50p +3.13%
Pearson (LSE: PSON.L - news) (PSON) 615.50p +2.67%
Alliance Trust (ATST) 274.25p +2.43%
Shire Plc (LSE: GB00B0KQX869.L - news) (SHP) 828.50p +2.16%
Johnson Matthey (LSE: JMAT.L - news) (JMAT) 1,108.00p +2.12%
Bunzl (LSE: BNZL.L - news) (BNZL) 495.00p +1.96%
FTSE 100 - Fallers
Legal & General Group (LGEN) 55.83p -7.87%
Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY.L - news) (LLOY) 65.00p -4.20%
Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN.L - news) (STAN) 1,135.00p -3.40%
Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 200.00p -3.38%
Wolseley (LSE: WOS.L - news) (WOS) 1,006.00p -3.18%
Friends Provident Group (FP.) 69.00p -3.09%
Anglo American (LSE: AAL.L - news) (AAL) 1,652.00p -2.71%
Schroders (LSE: SDR.L - news) (SDR) 809.50p -2.53%
Schroders NV (SDRC) 665.00p -2.42%
International Power (LSE: IPR.L - news) (IPR) 229.75p -2.34%