Next Share News (NXT)

Markets edged higher on Tuesday morning as traders reacted to a barrage of corporate earnings and data which showed that German consumers were at their most optimistic in six years.The GfK's forward-looking consumer confidence survey for Germany rose from 6.8 to 7.0 in August, its highest levels since September 2007, as indicators for economic and income expectations as well as willingness to buy all increased in July. The consensus forecast was for a smaller increase to 6.9. The report said: "As summer finally arrived in Germany, it was not just the temperature but also the mood of consumers that was rising this month. The continued stability of employment prospects and a moderate rate of inflation caused optimism to rise once more in July."However, Market Strategist Ishaq Siddiqi from ETX Capital said that "traders in general are hesitant to build too much risk exposure ahead of some key events scheduled this week".The outcome of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting will be in focus on Wednesday, though analysts widely expect the Fed to keep its asset purchase programme unchanged until at least September. Nevertheless, everyone will be awaiting any hints of when the central bank could begin to pull the plug on stimulus.The Bank of England and European Central Bank will also be closely watched on Thursday afternoon as both release their latest policy decisions.FTSE 100: Barclays in focus after rights issue, H1 reportShares in Barclays dropped sharply after the banking giant announced a series of actions, including an £5.8bn rights issue, to reduce its capital shortfall. The news came alongside the firm's half-year report in which it saw that adjusted profit before tax fall 17% year-on-year to £3.59bn.Banking counterparts RBS and Lloyds were also under pressure this morning with analysts pointing out negative readacross from Barclays' provisions for PPI and interest-rate hedging products. Financial peer Aberdeen Asset Management meanwhile was hit with a downgrade by Morgan Stanley to 'equal weight'.Oil major BP underwhelmed this morning with its interim results which saw underlying replacement cost profits sink from $8.2bn to $6.9bn in the first half.Mining stocks were lower as metal prices weakened, with Fresnillo, ENRC, Vedanta and Randgold among the worst performers.Leading the upside was engineering firm GKN after posting a 5.0% increase in pre-tax profit to £278m for the first half on a 12% increase in sales to £3.8bn.ITV reported a 16% rise in adjusted pre-tax profits for the first half to £270m as the UK TV network achieved higher margins and cut costs.Weir reported a 5.0% fall in orders, a 10% decline in revenue and a 14% drop in pre-tax profits in the fist half, but shares gained early on after the engineering company still hiked its dividend by 10%.High Street clothing and homeware retailer Next was also a high riser this morning after raising its profit forecasts for the full year following a strong trading performance ahead of its End of Season Sale.FTSE 100 - RisersGKN (GKN) 352.40p +7.73%ITV (ITV) 164.30p +4.58%Weir Group (WEIR) 2,155.00p +3.76%TUI Travel (TT.) 380.30p +2.76%SSE (SSE) 1,643.00p +2.62%Next (NXT) 5,015.00p +2.31%easyJet (EZJ) 1,399.00p +2.27%Croda International (CRDA) 2,470.00p +2.11%William Hill (WMH) 479.70p +2.06%National Grid (NG.) 778.50p +2.03%FTSE 100 - FallersBarclays (BARC) 284.30p -8.01%BP (BP.) 446.40p -4.49%Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 388.50p -3.48%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 318.70p -2.12%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 67.28p -2.07%Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. (ENRC) 216.90p -1.32%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 4,780.00p -1.22%Vedanta Resources (VED) 1,181.00p -1.17%Fresnillo (FRES) 1,039.00p -1.14%G4S (GFS) 224.80p -0.62%FTSE 250 - RisersInternational Personal Finance (IPF) 642.00p +13.63%Pace (PIC) 295.20p +6.30%Elementis (ELM) 244.90p +5.33%Informa (INF) 527.00p +5.19%Mondi (MNDI) 964.50p +4.84%Rightmove (RMV) 2,319.00p +2.79%Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC) 355.00p +2.66%Provident Financial (PFG) 1,677.00p +2.57%Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 341.00p +2.53%Halfords Group (HFD) 371.50p +2.00%FTSE 250 - FallersDomino's Pizza Group (DOM) 547.00p -8.83%Telecity Group (TCY) 923.00p -6.48%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 111.00p -4.97%Tullett Prebon (TLPR) 327.40p -4.96%Man Group (EMG) 80.05p -3.20%Evraz (EVR) 99.75p -3.06%Ferrexpo (FXPO) 169.10p -3.04%Wetherspoon (J.D.) (JDW) 721.50p -2.63%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 26.22p -2.56%Essar Energy (ESSR) 136.40p -2.50%BC