Lloyds Share News (LLOY)

Steel giant Evraz was a high riser of the day after Alexander David Securities reiterated its 'buy' recommendation for the stock, while precious metals miner Polymetal was being boosted by an 'overweight' rating from Morgan Stanley. Luxury firm Burberry was lifted into the top spot, with the only news on the stock being that Deutsche Bank retained its 'hold' rating. Also on the rise was supermarket giant Tesco after clarifying how it will get rid of its underperforming Japanese business as it battles to resume top-line growth in the UK. Power systems group Rolls-Royce was also in demand after signing a submarine contract worth over £1.0bn with the Ministry of Defence. Media giant WPP rose after acquiring a majority stake in Slovakian advertising agency Communication Group. Meanwhile, leading on the downside were the financials with RBS, Lloyds and Barclays among the worst performers. Nomura maintained its 'neutral' view of the UK banking sector this morning, saying that while the initial reaction to last week's new stimulus measures was positive, "we see it more as a trading/short term rally, and a continuation of the volatile price reaction we have seen over the past year". Also in regards to Lloyds, a weekend report in the Sunday Times held out the possibility that the lender may yet opt for the flotation of a new, standalone British bank, under a revived TSB brand. This as Lloyds Banking Group struggles to clinch its preferred option of a trade sale of the 632-branch business, also known as Verde, being carved out of its existing network.FTSE 100 - RisersBurberry Group (BRBY) 1,354.00p +3.52%Polymetal International (POLY) 910.00p +2.54%Evraz (EVR) 277.30p +2.40%Old Mutual (OML) 152.10p +2.29%Wolseley (WOS) 2,225.00p +2.25%Ashmore Group (ASHM) 338.40p +2.24%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 150.60p +2.17%Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 834.50p +1.52%ARM Holdings (ARM) 493.50p +1.40%British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSY) 670.50p +1.36%FTSE 100 - FallersRoyal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 236.60p -4.44%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 30.34p -3.08%Xstrata (XTA) 864.30p -3.00%Glencore International (GLEN) 331.15p -2.73%Aviva (AV.) 261.50p -2.61%Vedanta Resources (VED) 937.50p -2.34%Barclays (BARC) 196.70p -2.04%Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,365.50p -1.94%ICAP (IAP) 359.80p -1.56%Kazakhmys (KAZ) 713.00p -1.31%NR