Traders are snapping up haven-style assets as data released overnight increased uncertainty over the health of economies in China and Japan.Gold miners and pharmaceutical stocks lead the way in the FTSE 100, which trades 0.3% lower at 6,099, as markets around the world start the week in the red.Overnight, Japan's Business Survey Index slipped to minus 11.1 in April-June, down from minus 7.9 in...

Greece debt talks once again dominate market mood on Thursday, although investors are pushing London markets into modestly positive territory. Despite a fairly quiet day for corporate news the FTSE 100 index nudges around 15 points higher to 6,846, while midcaps make further gains too, the FTSE 250 up around 0.5% at 18,119.Royal Mail (RMG) falls 3.5% to 499.15p on news the government has sold...

A decent set of half-year numbers helps to push up leisure giant Whitbread (WTB) by 2% to £34.39. We're slightly surprised by the market reaction given that there's nothing to warrant earnings upgrades by analysts and there's a growing number of 'sell' ratings on the stock. Yet Whitbread continues to deliver a robust performance. Deutsche Bank comments: 'The longer-term story remains intact,...

London's FTSE 100 slides 47.74 points lower to 6405.7 on Wednesday on nervousness ahead of minutes from the US Federal Reserve's monthly policy meeting, although part-nationalised lender Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) puts on 1% at 74.5p after selling off non-core assets. The bank has raised some £500 million through selling German life insurer Heidelberger Leben and selected UK loans to US...