(MENAFN- ProactiveInvestors) As US shares started heading north after a weak opening FTSE100 erased some losses but still closed 73 points down at 7031.
One of the big losers was drugs behemoth Astrazeneca () which shed 3.53% to 4548p after a study showed US rival Merck's diabetes drug met heart-safety requirements.
Asia-focused bank () dropped 3.18% to 1080p as it revealed pre-tax profit fell by 22% in the three months to March while revenue was also down and the UK domicile issue was reignited later in the day.
Meanwhile the second biggest riser after miner Anglo was British Gas owner () up 2.3% to 275.3p.
A report said chairman Rick Haythornwaite was preparing for a takeover approach in the volatile energy market.
Miners were up due to speculation that China would take economic stimulus measures while driving down sentiment was poor UK data.
GDP in the UK increased quarter-on-quarter by 0.3% in the three months to March 31 but economists had forecast a gain of 0.5%.
It was the worst performance since the fourth quarter of 2012.
In the small cap sector () rose 9.52% to 0.57p after it completed its placing to raise £515700 to secure a mining licence at West Kytlim and for potential new acquisitions.
Atlas Development & Support () added 7.41% to 3.62p as a lower oil price took the gloss off a strong underlying performance by the group.
Atlas said the dip in the oil price has resulted in exploration being cut back and contracts taking longer to be awarded but its focus is onshore in Africa where steady work is coming through.
Newly-listed investment vehicle () rose 11.11% to 4.5p as it plans to raise £3mln by issuing convertible notes.
The company focused on building stakes in giant Ferris wheel projects told investors today it will put the funds towards acquisitions of target companies.
Motive Television () shares advanced 3.92% to 0.013p as it further protected its intellectual property (IP) with a second patent covering its data technology in the US.
The patent once registered covers methods of improving the company's datacasting from broadcaster to set-top box to allow multiple transmissions to enhance the viewer experience.
Another gainer was () which has installed production facilities at its Cambay 73 well in India and expects connection to a pipeline to take place next month.
Initial production will be 50-60 barrels daily of gas and condensate which will provide cashflow while the larger Cambay Project is developed.
Shares added 10.34% to 4p.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.