London shares were mixed at midday on Wednesday, with gains among miners lifting the FTSE 100 (UKX), while certain other sectors lagged. The index was up 0.3%, whereas the FTSE 250 and AIM All-Share fell 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.
Gold continued its rally, hitting a fresh record of $4,639.68 an ounce. Safe-haven demand for the precious metal translated into strong gains for London-listed miners. Endeavour Mining (LON:EDV) led the advance, rising 3.4%, followed by Glencore (LON:GLEN) up 2.2% and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) gaining 1.2%.
AstraZeneca jumped 2.8% after acquiring Modella AI, aiming to integrate artificial intelligence into its oncology portfolio through a multi-year collaboration. Financial terms were not disclosed.
At the other end of the FTSE 100, Pearson slid 6.2% after losing a US student assessment contract in New Jersey and offering no guidance for 2026. Analysts highlighted investor concerns over AI disruption and a lack of clarity on future growth.
Despite this, underlying group sales rose 4% for the year, with fourth-quarter sales up 8%, and adjusted operating profit expected at £610–615 million. Free cash flow conversion exceeded 95%, helped by strong cash generation and a £100 million state aid repayment.
Diploma edged higher by 0.8% after reaffirming its annual guidance, following 14% organic revenue growth in the first quarter to December 31.
On the FTSE 250, Vistry dropped 8.9% as total completions fell to around 15,700 in 2025 from 17,225 in 2024. The housebuilder expects revenue of roughly £4.2 billion and adjusted pretax profit of about £270 million, with market conditions remaining uncertain.
Trustpilot gained 0.1%, announcing an extension of its share buyback programme and forecasting full-year bookings of $291 million, up 22% year-on-year.
Among smaller companies, Mirriad Advertising tumbled 12% after reporting weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue of just over £400,000 and noting broader media industry underperformance. The firm remains cautiously optimistic about future opportunities, including discussions with a major UK media firm for a test campaign.
Truetide soared 44% as investee Paraytec launched a high-throughput assay to measure alpha-synuclein fibril formation, supporting drug discovery for Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative conditions.
FTSE 100 Top Gainers
| Company | Ticker | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| Endeavour Mining | EDV | +3.85% |
| AstraZeneca | AZN | +2.66% |
| Glencore | GLEN | +2.52% |
| Fresnillo | FRES | +1.96% |
| International Airlines | IAG | +1.89% |
FTSE 100 Top Fallers
| Company | Ticker | Drop |
|---|---|---|
| Pearson | PSON | -6.42% |
| Taylor Wimpey | TW. | -2.83% |
| Sage Group | SGE | -2.48% |
| WPP | WPP | -2.43% |
| Berkeley Group | BKG | -2.31% |