14th Jan 2026 11:57
(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were mixed at midday on Wednesday, as gains among miners lifted the FTSE 100.
The FTSE 100 index was up 26.44 points, 0.3%, at 10,163.80. The FTSE 250 was down 90.19 points, 0.4%, at 22,842.92, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.16 points, 0.3%, at 796.89.
The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 10,18.60, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.4% at 19,921.68, and the Cboe Small Companies was marginally higher at 17982.29.
The price of gold rose on Wednesday to set a fresh record of USD4,639.68 an ounce, up from USD4,598.33 late Tuesday.
The rise reflected ongoing safe-haven demand and translated into gains for London-listed miners, lifting the blue-chip index.
Endeavour Mining led the FTSE 100, up 3.4%, while Glencore rose 2.2% and Rio Tinto gained 1.2%.
In European equities on Wednesday, the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.1% after reaching a new record high of 8,396.72 points, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was down 0.4%.
The pound was quoted at USD1.3447 at midday on Wednesday in London, up from USD1.3428 at the equities close on Tuesday. The euro stood at USD1.1650, rising from USD1.1638. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JPY158.76, lower compared to JPY159.17.
AstraZeneca was up 2.8% after announcing it has acquired Modella AI, the companies said on Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The two companies forged a multi-year deal last year intended to incorporate AI models and agents into AstraZeneca's oncology portfolio.
Pearson was at the bottom of the FTSE 100, shedding 6.2%.
"A lack of guidance on 2026 performance and the loss of a US student assessment contract in New Jersey which will have an impact on the first half of the year saw Pearson punished," said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell.
He added: "In an environment with mounting concern about AI's ability to disrupt Pearson, its latest statement didn't offer the reassurance investors were looking for."
Pearson reported underlying group sales growth of 4% for the year, with momentum strengthening into the fourth quarter, when sales rose 8%. Adjusted operating profit is expected to come in at GBP610 million to GBP615 million, up around 6% on an underlying basis.
Free cash flow conversion exceeded 95%, supported by strong cash generation and a GBP100 million state aid repayment.
Diploma shares were up 0.8% after it backed its annual forecast following double-digit growth in the first quarter.
The London-based supplier of technical products and services said organic revenue in the first quarter ended December 31 surged 14%. The firm said this represented a "very strong" start to the year, as expected.
AJ Bell's Coatsworth said: "Organic gains are important to the market as it proves Diploma's growth isn't entirely dependent on acquisitions.
"Diploma has proved savvy at making the right deals to drive value and it has enjoyed considerable share price gains over the years. Showing it can keep growing with what's already under its belt is paramount to winning over even more investors."
Stocks in New York were called lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was called down 0.3%, the S&P 500 index down 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite down 0.7%.
The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.15%, narrowing from 4.18%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was quoted at 4.81%, narrowing from 4.84%.
US banks continue to release earnings, with Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup expected to report before the opening bell in New York.
Bank in London, shares in FTSE 250-listed Vistry fell 8.9% after it said 2025 total completions declined to around 15,700 from 17,225 in 2024.
The Kent, England-based housebuilder said market conditions remain uncertain in the near term and that 2025 revenue is expected to be broadly flat at GBP4.2 billion. It expects adjusted pretax profit to be in line with expectations at around GBP270 million.
Trustpilot rose 0.1% after saying it is extending its share buyback programme and forecasting full-year earnings will be ahead of expectations.
The Copenhagen-based consumer review platform expects to report 2025 bookings of USD291 million, up 22% from USD239 million a year earlier, or up 18% at constant currency.
Among smaller caps, Mirriad Advertising shares fell 12%.
Mirriad said it anticipates a potential uplift in sales during the February to March period and is progressing discussions towards an agreement. It said it is in talks with a major UK media firm for a test campaign and noted broader industry-wide underperformance in media sales during 2025.
Mirriad said fourth-quarter sales were disappointing but added it is cautiously optimistic about the outlook. It expects 2025 revenue of just over GBP400,000, down from GBP1.0 million a year earlier.
Truetide shares jumped 44% after it said investee Paraytec has launched a focused development programme to create a high-throughput, real-time fluorescent assay to measure alpha-synuclein fibril formation using its CX300 system. The programme targets drug discovery in Parkinson's disease and related neurodegenerative conditions.
On trade, China blamed the US for global imbalances as its trade surplus hit a record USD1.189 trillion.
China's trade surplus surged 20% in 2025 to USD1.189 trillion from USD992.1 billion a year earlier, reaching the trillion-dollar mark for the first time, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs.
Exports increased by 5.5% in dollar terms last year, while imports were flat. Analysts said the data suggest that US President Donald Trump's tariffs have helped drive the creation of new global trade alliances, despite ongoing risks of tit-for-tat barriers.
Brent oil was quoted at USD66.10 a barrel at midday in London on Wednesday, rising from USD65.65 late Tuesday.
Still to come on Wednesday's economic calendar are US producer price index inflation data and the current account balance, US existing home sales, US Energy Information Administration crude oil inventories and the Federal Reserve's Beige Book.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter
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