POG.L Share News (POG)

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index         climbed 0.5% in
volatile trade, with banks                and insurers 
leading the gains. 
"If there is a ceasefire, that takes some heat out of commodities and fears of inflation or stagflation, that would be 
seen as a positive for economy and banks will be seen as one way 
of playing that after a weak spell for their share prices which 
has left them trading at discounts to book value," said AJ Bell 
investment director Russ Mould. 
However, the advance was limited as energy 
and mining                shares fell 1.6% and 5.0%, 
respectively, tracking weaker commodity prices. 
"Some of it is profit-taking or people running for cover if they've taken more speculative position in the commodity space 
where you've seen some very, very sharp rises," said Mould. 
Both Russia and Ukraine gave their most upbeat assessment yet of prospects for talks, with a Russian delegate quoted as 
saying there could soon be draft agreements, boosting investors' 
appetite for riskier assets like stocks. 
Yields on UK bonds of both longer-             and 
shorter-dated            rebounded after two straight sessions 
of falls, as traders braced for a likely third rate rise in a 
row by the Bank of England this week to tame the dramatic surge 
in inflation. 
Index provider FTSE Russell said it would delete Russia-focused Evraz         , Polymetal International 
, Petropavlovsk         and Raven Property Group 
after trading in their shares was curtailed by a 
pull-back from the country's stock market by leading brokerages. 
 
The domestically focussed mid-cap index         advanced 
1.3% to extend the previous week's gains and outperform the 
benchmark index. 
Joining the corporate exodus from Russia, British American Tobacco Plc          said on Friday it would exit Russia and cut 
its fiscal 2022 guidance as a result. Shares of the company were 
down 1.4%. 
Miner Rio Tinto         fell 4.8% after the miner proposed 
to buy 49% of Canada's Turquoise Hill          it does not 
already own for about $2.7 billion.