London midday: Markets fall on low volumes, Japan data

In spite of a decent start, the FTSE 100 had swung into the red by Monday lunchtime, with analysts citing low volumes and weaker-than-expected economic data from Japan.Asian markets were mixed overnight with Chinese benchmarks performing well on an improved outlook in China, while Tokyo's Nikkei was hit by poor growth figures from Japan where annualised growth came in at 2.6% in the second quarter. This was a significant slowdown from the 3.8% growth seen in the first quarter and well below the 3.6% expansion expected.The data comes as the Japanese government tackles its debt which has risen past 1,000trn yen. In an effort to curb debt, Japan is raising its sales tax rate over the next two years, but this morning's report will likely provide an argument for those seeking to delay the scheduled hikes. Matt Basi, Head of UK Sales Trading at CMC Markets, said that the Japanese figures, "combined with the generally apathetic mood", were weighing on markets across Europe this morning. "Volume across all of the major bourses has all but dried up as we hit the height of the holiday season, and with no significant macro releases scheduled until later in the week, we are likely in for a quiet session," he said.Traders were also reacting to speculation about further stimulus measures from China, including reports of Beijing offering support to certain cities and provinces to buoy growth in local economies. Sentiment surrounding China brightened last week as better-than-expected trade figures, strong industrial production data and subdued inflation pointed to a stabilisation in the world's second-largest economy.FTSE 100: Financials RBS and Prudential in demandRBS was making gains after comments from Business Secretary Vince Cable who said that the sell-off of the government's 81% stake was unlikely for another five years. Part-nationalised peer Lloyds was also higher.Insurer Prudential was also on the up after releasing its first-half results which came out mid-morning. Headline IFRS operating profit came in at £1,415m, up 22% year-on-year and 6.0% ahead of consensus estimates.Precious metals group Fresnillo was also higher this morning, tracking gold and silver prices higher.Tesco and Next were out of favour today after the Labour Party raised concerns over how the companies utilise cheap labour from migrant workers.Outsourcing giant Capita was in the red after Citigroup downgraded its rating on the stock from 'buy' to 'neutral', saying it no longer sees significant re-rating potential after a strong performance since the start of the year.FTSE 250: SVG Capital surges after jump in H1 NAVSVG Capital, the private equity investor, was a high riser today on the FTSE 250 after seeing net asset value jump by 23% in its first half, substantially outperforming its benchmarks, as profits more than doubled.  High Street bookie Ladbrokes was being weighed down by a ratings cut from JPMorgan Cazenove to 'underweight', with the broker highlighting weakness in UK Retail and risks to short-term consensus estimates. While the stock (at 12.2 times 2014 earnings) is trading at a discount to the wider gaming sector (15x), JPMorgan said this "does not fully reflect the risks associated with LAD's turnaround".Facilities, property and energy management firm MITIE Group also fell despite saying it is well placed to achieve "good levels" of organic growth this financial year. In a trading update for the period from April 1st to date, the firm reported a positive start to the year, driven by strong performance in the facilities management division. FTSE 100 - RisersFresnillo (FRES) 1,074.00p +3.77%Prudential (PRU) 1,213.00p +2.45%Resolution Ltd. (RSL) 328.70p +1.36%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 329.70p +1.26%G4S (GFS) 237.90p +1.02%Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,599.00p +0.76%HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 715.20p +0.76%Vedanta Resources (VED) 1,251.00p +0.72%AstraZeneca (AZN) 3,257.50p +0.70%GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 1,672.50p +0.57%FTSE 100 - FallersRolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 1,156.00p -2.36%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 316.10p -2.29%Diageo (DGE) 2,075.50p -1.77%easyJet (EZJ) 1,353.00p -1.74%Croda International (CRDA) 2,494.00p -1.69%Travis Perkins (TPK) 1,642.00p -1.56%Amec (AMEC) 1,073.00p -1.56%London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 1,589.00p -1.55%Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 382.00p -1.52%Rexam (REX) 506.50p -1.36%FTSE 250 - RisersEvraz (EVR) 112.90p +8.04%Centamin (DI) (CEY) 37.05p +6.62%SVG Capital (SVI) 411.50p +5.49%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 135.00p +4.98%Electrocomponents (ECM) 272.70p +3.61%Catlin Group Ltd. (CGL) 502.50p +2.55%Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) 428.90p +2.07%Fidelity China Special Situations (FCSS) 95.60p +2.03%Polymetal International (POLY) 730.50p +1.95%Interserve (IRV) 544.00p +1.87%FTSE 250 - FallersHochschild Mining (HOC) 221.80p -7.27%Man Group (EMG) 88.90p -3.84%Ladbrokes (LAD) 193.10p -3.01%Mitie Group (MTO) 267.70p -2.97%Dialight (DIA) 1,217.00p -2.64%Enterprise Inns (ETI) 145.20p -2.42%Henderson Group (HGG) 171.60p -2.39%Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC) 343.20p -1.97%Perform Group (PER) 533.00p -1.84%Home Retail Group (HOME) 152.70p -1.74%BC