London’s markets saw declines on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 down 0.24 percent to 6,615.1 and the FTSE 250 falling 0.56 percent to 11,666.8.
Retailers were mixed on the session, with Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW) up 2.48 percent to 313.75p but Home Retail (LSE: HOME) falling 2.35 percent to 438.75p for the worst day on the 100.
Conversely, the best performer on the 100 was in the leisure sector, where Whitbread (LSE: WTB) added 7.04 percent to £19.46 on rumors that it could be targeted for bids.
Other gainers on the day included BSkyB, which added 4.17 percent to 700p.
In the oil sector, BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) gained 2.56 percent to 842p.
The pharmaceuticals sector was mixed.
AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) was 2.43 percent higher to £26.95 on an upgrade from “equal-weight” to “overweight” from Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), while Shire (LSE: SHP; NAS: SHPGY) was down 1.97 percent to £11.97 on rumors that it might be looking to make an acquisition.
Also lower on the session was property group Hammerson (LSE: HMSO), which dropped 1.65 percent to £13.67.
British Airways (LSE: BAY; NSYE: BAB) fell 1.7 percent to 418.5p, hurt by higher oil prices.