Lloyds Share News (LLOY)

- Kingfisher leads fallers on the Footsie- Upbeat European earnings lift sentiment- Fed says US expanding at 'modest to moderate' rateUK stocks edged higher in early trading on Thursday on the back of some upbeat earnings reports from heavyweight European stocks AkzoNobel, Sandvik and Novartis.Investors will be digesting last night's release of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book which said that the US economic grew at a "modest to moderate" pace over the last month. Stocks closed higher yesterday after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said that he does not expect the US economy to slip back into recession.Analyst Cooper Howes from Barclays Capital said:"The Fed will not feel compelled to act (or not act) on this report alone, and the decision of whether or not to pursue further monetary stimulus will depend on developments in the economic data and financial markets between now and the [next] meeting."FTSE 100: Rainfall dampens growth at KingfisherKingfisher, Europe's largest home improvement retailer, was among the worst performers after sales were hit by the extraordinary bad weather in the second quarter, though trading in the UK and Ireland was resilient. Engineering groups IMI, GKN and Weir was high risers after Swedish peer Sandvik released better-than-expected second-quarter results. Meanwhile, Croda International gained on the back of positive read-across from AkzoNobel. Gas group BG was under the weather after Credit Suisse downgraded the stock to 'neutral' and cut its target price from 1,660p to 1,500p. Mining firm Vedanta dropped after HSBC slashed its target from 1,320p to 1,000p, though it maintained its 'overweight' rating.Banking group Lloyds fell after it agreed with the Co-op to sell hundreds of its branches for an initial consideration of £350m, and up to an additional £400m in present value.FTSE 250: Stocks jump after board changesHalfords advanced after saying that Chief Executive David Wild is on his bike leaving the non-executive Chairman Dennis Millard in charge of the shop while the struggling seller of bikes and car parts looks for a replacement. The group also reported that LFL sales gained 0.9% in the five weeks to June 29th.Oilfield services firm Wood Group rose after saying that Chairman Sir Ian Wood is to retire in November and will be succeeded by the group's CEO, Allister Langlands.West Africa-focused gold miner Avocet Mining was also in demand after it revealed that CEO Brett Richards is to resign and will be replaced by the group's Chief Operating Officer (COO).Digging deeper at the Simrit-2 exploration well in the Kurdistan region of Iraq has paid off for oil exploration firm Afren as the well's total net oil pay has increased to 460 metres. Shares jumped 7%.Elsewhere, AIM-listed sports retailer JJB dropped after saying that it is having to slow down its refurbishment programme as poor sales mean the group will need an injection of cash from its backers earlier than planned.FTSE 100 - RisersIMI (IMI) 813.50p +2.84%Smiths Group (SMIN) 1,103.00p +2.70%Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,265.00p +2.68%Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,502.00p +2.53%Weir Group (WEIR) 1,526.00p +2.35%ARM Holdings (ARM) 487.90p +2.05%GKN (GKN) 217.20p +1.97%Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,093.00p +1.96%Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,203.00p +1.61%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 158.70p +1.54%FTSE 100 - FallersKingfisher (KGF) 269.00p -2.25%Vedanta Resources (VED) 893.00p -1.81%BG Group (BG.) 1,294.00p -1.78%Smith & Nephew (SN.) 650.00p -1.29%G4S (GFS) 242.60p -0.94%National Grid (NG.) 664.50p -0.89%United Utilities Group (UU.) 691.00p -0.72%Tesco (TSCO) 320.40p -0.56%Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 259.20p -0.50%Hammerson (HMSO) 461.90p -0.45%FTSE 250 - RisersHalfords Group (HFD) 213.50p +8.16%Afren (AFR) 127.70p +7.40%Fenner (FENR) 352.60p +4.47%Cookson Group (CKSN) 633.50p +4.28%Ruspetro (RPO) 144.30p +3.81%Elementis (ELM) 193.70p +3.25%Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 483.90p +3.24%Paragon Group Of Companies (PAG) 179.60p +3.22%Spectris (SXS) 1,532.00p +2.89%Avocet Mining (AVM) 71.20p +2.89%FTSE 250 - FallersTalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 184.40p -2.85%Ultra Electronics Holdings (ULE) 1,574.00p -1.44%Barr (A.G.) (BAG) 424.20p -1.30%Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (ASL) 585.00p -1.18%SEGRO (SGRO) 235.00p -1.09%Gem Diamonds Ltd. (DI) (GEMD) 210.80p -1.08%Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 783.00p -0.89%Rathbone Brothers (RAT) 1,329.00p -0.82%British Assets Trust (BSET) 118.00p -0.76%NMC Health (NMC) 198.50p -0.75%BC