FTSE 250 edges past FTSE 100 as CMC and defence names help offset commodity drop
UK stocks split by size on Wednesday. The FTSE 100 finished 66.01 points lower at 10,431.11, near the session bottom of 10,429.17. The FTSE 250 put on 74.82 points to close at 23,088.27, shrugging off stronger gilt yields. Commodity exporters took the hit, with midcaps up on a sharp move in one trading-platform stock and a push in defence shares. The split is key since it complicates the idea that the “UK market” is just moving lower. FTSE 100 had just closed out its sixth straight quarterly gain, rising in 11 of the last 12 months. FTSE 250 posted its biggest quarterly jump in five quarters, Reuters said. Wednesday’s session looked more like a shift in sectors and earnings than