Barclays Share News (BARC)

Diageo, the beverages company behind the Guinness, Baileys and Smirnoff brands, was a high riser on Wednesday after delivering a solid five per cent increase in full-year net sales, driven by strength in the North American and spirits markets. Drinks company SABMiller was also making gains.Centrica, the energy company which owns British Gas, also rose after reporting a "robust" financial performance in the six months to June 30th, with revenue up 14% at £13.7bn after customers used more gas to stay warm during an unusually cold winter. Utilities peer National Grid was also higher.Tobacco giant British American Tobacco also impressed after being able to grow organic sales by 4.0% and operating profit by 6.0% in spite a fall in volumes in the first half. Sector peer Imperial was also in demand.South America-focused mining group Antofagasta gained despite seeing copper output fall from the first to the second quarter, as it said it was still on track to hit its full-year target of 700,000 tonnes, more or less in line with last year.Oil explorer Tullow was higher after reporting a 15% jump in first-half revenue to $1.3bn on the back of an increase in production. Sector peer BP meanwhile was rebounding after investors yesterday gave a cool reaction to its second-quarter results.Meanwhile, engineer GKN was performing well, extending gains after its well-received first-half report yesterday. The stock was given a lift this morning by Investec which upgraded its rating from 'add' to 'buy'.In contrast, banking group Barclays was extending losses made the day before after it revealed plans for a £5.8bn rights issue and reported a drop in profits in the first half. Utilities firm SSE however was the standout faller after going ex-dividend.FTSE 100 - RisersDiageo (DGE) 2,053.00p +3.19%ITV (ITV) 171.10p +2.46%National Grid (NG.) 787.50p +2.34%SABMiller (SAB) 3,209.00p +2.21%Pearson (PSON) 1,357.00p +2.11%Centrica (CNA) 393.80p +2.07%HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 750.20p +1.90%British American Tobacco (BATS) 3,528.00p +1.89%Associated British Foods (ABF) 1,945.00p +1.83%Melrose Industries (MRO) 282.10p +1.80%FTSE 100 - FallersSSE (SSE) 1,587.00p -3.11%Barclays (BARC) 288.50p -0.96%RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 125.20p -0.87%easyJet (EZJ) 1,403.00p -0.57%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 289.80p -0.51%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 4,799.00p -0.50%Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 385.30p -0.39%Aviva (AV.) 372.70p -0.37%Persimmon (PSN) 1,240.00p -0.32%Next (NXT) 5,005.00p -0.30%BC