Equities markets in London were higher on Wednesday, with both the FTSE 250 and the FTSE All-Share hitting all-time highs for the second day in a row. The 250 added 0.2 percent to 11,502, while the All-Share gained 0.2 percent as well, to 3,301.77. The FTSE 100 was also higher, up 0.4 percent to 6,369.5.
Miners saw advances on the day after BHP Billiton added 5.5 percent to £10.40 on the announcement of a new share buyback. The rest of the sector followed Billiton higher, with Anglo American gaining 2.7 percent to £24.71, Lonmin 2.8 percent higher to £31.89, and Vedanta resources adding 3.5 percent to £12.36.
J Sainsbury was 0.7 percent higher to 519½p after rumors circulated that an anonymous investor was interested in acquiring 50 million shares of the supermarket chain.
British Airways gained 4.6 percent to 574p on upgrades from Merrill Lynch, which raised its recommendation on the airline to “buy” and increased its target share price to 700p.
With 86million shares trading hands on the session, Scottish Power was 1.8 percent higher to 770p on consolidation rumors in Europe. The rumors were denied later.
In the pharmaceuticals sector, AstraZeneca dropped 1.1 percent to £29.50.