FTSE 100 movers: Banks and miners weaker, property stocks extend gains

26th May 2015 13:18

UK stocks were were buffeted on Tuesday by Greek uncertainty, stateside interest rate speculation and weakness among miners and financials.As of 14:30 BST, the FTSE 100 was trading 23.5 points lower at 7,008.24.Banking stocks with high eurozone exposure plummeted as Greece concerns merged with Spain's regional election results, which saw anti-austerity parties sweep to victory, causing investors to fret. Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Chartered and Lloyds all dipped on the news.Drug-maker AstraZeneca was in the red as investors reacted to news that one of its partners, Amgen, was ending its collaboration to develop psoriasis drug brodalumab, after suicidal thoughts were observed in patients taking it.Randgold Resources tracked gold prices lower, a result of the Indian seasonal buying coming to an end and a stronger dollar. Traders in Mumbai reported that Indian gold imports had fallen from an average of 67 tonnes in the week ended 21 April, to an average of six tonnes for the week ended May 22.Sector peer Fresnillo was also weaker after analysts at Goldman Sachs warned that the commodities market rally noted in March was unlikely to be sustained and revised prices lower.Royal Mail was in demand after Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded the postal delivery business from 'sell' to 'hold' and hiked its target price from 440p to 500p.Easyjet surged as Irish rival Ryanair reported rising passenger numbers and lower fuel costs, which drove full-year profits 66% higher.Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Developments were both trading higher after Deutsche Bank named them as its top picks in the UK house-building sector, highlighting attractive dividend yields across the industry.RisersWeir Group (WEIR) 2,009.00p +3.72%Royal Mail (RMG) 520.50p +3.38%easyJet (EZJ) 1,626.00p +2.20%Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 187.60p +1.74%Barratt Developments (BDEV) 605.50p +1.68%Aggreko (AGK) 1,617.00p +1.38%BT Group (BT.A) 457.00p +1.32%Carnival (CCL) 3,182.00p +1.27%Persimmon (PSN) 1,959.00p +1.19%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 548.00p +1.01%FallersFresnillo (FRES) 741.50p -2.82%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 4,673.00p -2.22%Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 2,104.00p -1.77%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 349.30p -1.63%Centrica (CNA) 276.00p -1.60%Aviva (AV.) 529.50p -1.58%BG Group (BG.) 1,138.00p -1.56%Royal Dutch Shell 'B' (RDSB) 1,970.00p -1.52%SABMiller (SAB) 3,579.50p -1.49%Antofagasta (ANTO) 762.50p -1.49%