London open: Footsie rises despite banking weakness

16th Apr 2012 08:33

- Spanish 10-year bond yield above six per cent- Banks under pressure, Moody's delays ratings decision- Int'l Power rises strongly after GDF SUEZ bidLondon's blue chip index opened moderately higher despite a fall in the banking sector. International Power was leading the risers after receiving a sweetened bid from GDF SUEZ.Likely to be the focus of attention today are bond yields in the Eurozone with the borrowing rate on Spanish 10-year debt jumped 13 basis points to 6.07%. The euro fell to below $1.30 for the first time in two months.Wolfgang Münchau, the Eurointelligence President and Financial Times associate editor, has said that Spain's current insistence on extreme austerity measures will inevitably lead to its exit from the Eurozone. For Münchau there are only two possible outcomes to the crisis: either Spain withdraws from the euro or Eurozone members create a backstop for their financial sector. "If the Spanish government pursues the strategy it has announced to the bitter end, the first outcome will become vastly more probable," he said. In domestic news, Rightmove data has shown that house prices in England and Wales rose by 2.9% month-on-month in April to reach an all-time high of £243,737. This is beat a previous record set in May 2008 by 0.5% and is the largest April increase since 2007.Moody's Investors Service has said that it will delay its publication of a review into European banks until next month. It is "taking an appropriately deliberate approach during this review process and will conclude when it is confident that all relevant information has been received and analysed," the ratings agency said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal has said that 114 banks in 16 European countries are at risk of a downgrade. FTSE 100: Banks unwanted, Int'l Power jumpsBanking giants Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays were providing a downward pressure on the FTSE 100 in early trading with investors eyeing the Moody's review. Other financials including Man Group, Old Mutual, ICAP, Hargreaves Lansdown and Ashmore were also out of favour.Leading the upside was utilities firm International Power after French shareholder GDF SUEZ raised its bid from 390p to 418p per share.Miners were also making gains with Rio Tinto, Vedanta Resources and Glencore among the highest risers in the opening hour. Gold miner Polymetal and EVRAZ were bucking the trend though after their first-quarter updates.AMEC, the engineering consultant focused on the resources industry, after saying it is on track to deliver double-digit percentage underlying revenue growth in 2012, despite the continued macro economic uncertainty.FTSE 250: Cairn, Gem provide a liftOil and gas group Cairn Energy was a higher riser after saying that Agora Oil and Gas, a firm it is set to buy, has struck oil at its Skarfjell Prospect in the Norwegian North Sea.Gem Diamonds has seen the value of sales from its biggest mine fall in the first three months of the year but production has risen. Shares were up 2%.Sports media group Perform Group was among the worst performers after saying that it has agreed a partnership to integrate its livesport.tv platform, a network of online sports channels, into the so-called 'smart' TV product line of South Korean firm LG.FTSE 100 - RisersInternational Power (IPR) 417.10p +3.27%Vedanta Resources (VED) 1,205.00p +1.60%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,499.00p +1.54%ARM Holdings (ARM) 597.50p +1.53%Tullow Oil (TLW) 1,464.00p +1.46%BP (BP.) 447.65p +1.31%Diageo (DGE) 1,539.00p +1.28%Kazakhmys (KAZ) 891.00p +1.25%Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,138.00p +1.25%BG Group (BG.) 1,403.00p +1.19%FTSE 100 - FallersLloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 30.06p -2.26%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 172.00p -1.77%Man Group (EMG) 108.30p -1.55%Barclays (BARC) 211.60p -1.54%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 24.70p -1.40%Hammerson (HMSO) 404.20p -0.93%ICAP (IAP) 369.20p -0.86%Aviva (AV.) 303.40p -0.75%Sage Group (SGE) 285.60p -0.73%Old Mutual (OML) 153.50p -0.65%FTSE 250 - RisersCairn Energy (CNE) 331.90p +3.72%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 51.20p +2.81%Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CW.) 38.15p +2.55%Premier Farnell (PFL) 210.70p +2.08%Kentz Corporation Ltd. (KENZ) 439.00p +2.05%Dunelm Group (DNLM) 512.00p +1.69%Gem Diamonds Ltd. (DI) (GEMD) 268.10p +1.67%Kier Group (KIE) 1,135.00p +1.61%Stagecoach Group (SGC) 247.40p +1.60%Afren (AFR) 134.40p +1.36%FTSE 250 - FallersElementis (ELM) 198.30p -3.17%Aquarius Platinum Ltd. (AQP) 132.50p -2.43%Centamin (DI) (CEY) 64.65p -2.42%Perform Group (PER) 299.20p -1.90%Exillon Energy (EXI) 124.70p -1.89%Carpetright (CPR) 612.50p -1.84%Persimmon (PSN) 628.50p -1.72%International Personal Finance (IPF) 250.50p -1.69%easyJet (EZJ) 472.90p -1.66%Ocado Group (OCDO) 109.30p -1.44%BC