London close: Stocks slip despite mining strength

Strong gains in the mining sector weren't enough to lift the FTSE 100 on Tuesday as a number of upcoming 'risk events' prompted investors to pause for breath following a decent performance over recent weeks.The FTSE 100 finished down 30 points at 6,556, a fall of 0.45% on the day. London's benchmark index was pulling back after closing at its highest level since the end of May on Monday.A barrage of economic data kept markets busy today, with figures from across the globe coming in rather mixed, including consumer prices in the UK which rose less than expected in the UK, weakening German economic sentiment and a higher-than-forecast rise in US consumer prices.Following another record close for the Dow Jones and S&P 500 last night after Citigroup beat quarterly forecasts, Wall Street benchmarks slipped into the red after the opening bell today as investors turned cautious ahead of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's semi-annual testimony to Congress on Wednesday and Thursday.Better-than-expected earnings from bellwether heavyweights Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson were offset by disappointing figures from soft-drinks giant Coca-Cola.Senior Market Analyst Michael Hewson from CMC Markets said: "It appears that investors seem content to sit on the sidelines today ahead of a big day tomorrow, when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke starts his semi-annual testimony to Congress, while UK markets will be awaiting the first set of post Carney minutes from the Bank of England, as well as unemployment and average earnings data."FTSE 100: Miners track metal prices higherMining stocks were the best performers on Tuesday afternoon, as metals prices rose on the back of a weaker dollar. Precious metal producers Fresnillo and Randgold were among the highest risers as gold and silver futures advanced.Diversified mining group Rio Tinto was also making gains after being able to work through a equipment issues and unseasonal wet weather in Australia to deliver record iron ore production in the first half.Glencore Xstrata rose after saying it had received a number of approaches to buy its interest in Peru's Las Bambas copper mine project as it started the sale process. Sector peers ENRC, Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Antofagasta were also making gains.One miner bucking the trend this morning was Vedanta with shares lower after RBC Capital Markets downgraded the stock to 'underperform' and cut its target price from 1,200p to 1,100p.DIY retailer Kingfisher advanced after Nomura upgraded the stock from 'reduce' to 'neutral' on the back of its exposure to a UK housing recovery. Engineering support services group Babcock meanwhile was up after Panmure Gordon raised its rating to 'buy', saying it is "very well positioned" compared to outsourcing peers.Food ingredients group Tate & Lyle was trading lower today after a profit warning from sector peer Ingredion, the US manufacturer of sweetener and starches.FTSE 100 - RisersFresnillo (FRES) 1,016.00p +6.00%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 4,479.00p +4.85%Rio Tinto (RIO) 2,883.00p +2.73%G4S (GFS) 212.40p +2.36%Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. (ENRC) 210.50p +2.13%Anglo American (AAL) 1,324.00p +1.81%Centrica (CNA) 379.90p +1.44%BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,832.00p +1.36%Kingfisher (KGF) 383.70p +1.24%Antofagasta (ANTO) 833.00p +1.22%FTSE 100 - FallersPersimmon (PSN) 1,241.00p -4.90%ITV (ITV) 156.40p -3.04%TUI Travel (TT.) 365.50p -2.95%Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,503.50p -2.78%Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,498.00p -2.54%WPP (WPP) 1,172.00p -2.33%GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 1,707.50p -2.12%Whitbread (WTB) 3,160.00p -2.02%Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 460.50p -1.81%Old Mutual (OML) 194.80p -1.72%FTSE 250 - RisersPolymetal International (POLY) 552.50p +7.18%Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 290.30p +6.30%Evraz (EVR) 96.85p +5.56%Ferrexpo (FXPO) 161.40p +4.33%Inchcape (INCH) 554.50p +3.36%Lonmin (LMI) 292.80p +3.21%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 104.30p +2.46%RPC Group (RPC) 425.90p +2.43%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 24.35p +2.31%Kazakhmys (KAZ) 251.40p +2.24%FTSE 250 - FallersDialight (DIA) 1,030.00p -6.36%Hochschild Mining (HOC) 136.10p -6.27%Salamander Energy (SMDR) 127.50p -5.56%Barratt Developments (BDEV) 336.30p -4.46%Ocado Group (OCDO) 316.60p -4.44%Senior (SNR) 265.20p -4.09%Bovis Homes Group (BVS) 820.50p -3.64%Elementis (ELM) 230.00p -3.64%Kier Group (KIE) 1,435.00p -3.43%Bellway (BWY) 1,407.00p -3.30%BC