UK small caps are flat, underperforming the mid-caps, up 0.5percent, and the blue chips, up 0.3 percent.
Finnish miner Talvivaara sheds 18 percent in heavy tradeof 4 times its average 90-day volume after it shuts its nickel plant following anew waste water leak.
The incident is a further setback for a company still recovering from anearlier leak in November, and investors fear it will take the debt-burdenedcompany more time and money to fix the mine's problems.
Xcite Energy gains 9.9 percent in volume of three times its 90-dayaverage after the oil company says it will seek a partner to help fund thedevelopment of the Bentley field in the North Sea, following an independentreport which shows it contains more oil than previously thought.
"An updated third party assessment has more than doubled the estimate ofBentley 2P reserves... There should now be no doubt the project will proceed,"analysts at Liberum say in a note, reiterating their "buy" rating on the stock.
"The significant reserves upgrade has increased our price target, based onthe Bentley asset value, from 242 pence to 340 pence."
Reuters messaging rm://alistair.smout.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net