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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

FTSE 100 movers: Prudential powers ahead; BAT in the red

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was up 0.5% at 7,528.96 in afternoon trade on Wednesday. Asia-focused Prudential was the standout gainer on the index, having fallen a day earlier after Moody's cut its credit outlook on China to 'negative'.

Weir Group gained after saying it is now targeting £60m in absolute savings by 2026, as part of its goal to reach an operating margin of 20% by the same year. It also confirmed that market conditions and its 2023 guidance remained unchanged, with the company on track to deliver an operating margin of 17%.

Anglo American advanced as copper prices rose.

On the downside, British American Tobacco was under the cosh as it scaled back its expectations for organic growth this year and announced a massive £25bn impairment charge.

BAT pointed to the fact it continues to shift its focus away from traditional tobacco products, and to macroeconomic pressures impacting its US combustibles brands. The £25bn impairment charges relates to some of the company's acquired US combustibles brands.

Peer Imperial Brands also lost ground.

FTSE 100 - Risers

Prudential (PRU) 891.60p 4.48% Weir Group (WEIR) 1,926.00p 3.30% BT Group (BT.A) 134.45p 3.22% Anglo American (AAL) 2,222.00p 3.11% Legal & General Group (LGEN) 234.80p 2.98% St James's Place (STJ) 685.20p 2.79% M&G (MNG) 212.90p 2.70% NATWEST GROUP (NWG) 220.40p 2.61% Experian (EXPN) 3,042.00p 2.53% 3i Group (III) 2,315.00p 2.52%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

British American Tobacco (BATS) 2,258.00p -9.23% Imperial Brands (IMB) 1,829.50p -1.82% Diageo (DGE) 2,774.00p -1.37% Shell (SHEL) 2,515.00p -0.44% BAE Systems (BA.) 1,040.00p -0.43% Rentokil Initial (RTO) 424.00p -0.33% Haleon (HLN) 322.20p -0.28% Pearson (PSON) 937.40p -0.19% SSE (SSE) 1,869.00p -0.19% United Utilities Group (UU.) 1,084.50p -0.05%

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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