London midday: Stocks rise after UK data, but gains limited

- Q3 UK GDP confirms small acceleration in growth- German coalition, GfK consumer confidence in focus- Ex-div stocks cap gains- Volumes set to be low ahead of ThanksgivingtechMARK 2,656.92 +0.28%FTSE 100 6,648.87 +0.19%FTSE 250 15,386.74 +0.53%Markets in London were in positive territory on Wednesday morning after data confirmed a slight pick-up in UK economic growth in the third quarter, though gains were only modest as risk appetite was being scaled back ahead of what is set to be quiet end to the week.With US markets closed on Thursday and Friday as Wall Street celebrates Thanksgiving, analysts said that trading volumes are expected to be low, prompting investors to adopt a cautious approach in the near term.Meanwhile, upside across the FTSE 350 was being capped by a number of heavyweight stocks going ex-dividend, meaning that from today investors will no longer qualify for the companies' latest payouts.The second estimate of UK gross domestic product (GDP) showed that the economy expanded by 0.8% during the three months through September, in line with the initial forecast and up from the 0.7% growth recorded in the second quarter. "The British economy has been showing signs of strength, and this announcement set traders' minds at ease. The equity markets don't like surprises, and today's GDP figure won't rock the boat in terms of quantitative easing," said David Madden, Market Analyst from IG.Helping sentiment this morning was the news that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party has formed a 'grand coalition' with the Social Democrats after two months of negotiations. Few details have been published ahead of a press conference, but CDU representatives indicated that there will be no new taxes and no new debts. Also in Germany, the forward-looking GfK consumer confidence index hit a six-year high of 7.4 for December, surprising analysts who had expected no change from the previous month's reading of 7.1.Economic data on the other side of the Pond will also be closely watched this afternoon, with US reports on durable goods orders, mortgage applications, initial jobless claims, manufacturing and University of Michigan confidence all due out. Compass, United Utilities gain after resultsCompass, the world's largest catering group, was higher this morning after beating forecasts with its annual results, driven by strong performances in North America and Fast Growing & Emerging. The company also unveiled a bigger-than-expected share buyback for 2014 of £500m.Water group United Utilities also impressed with its first-half results as underlying operating profits rose 9%. The company also said it is discounting bills by £20m for customers, offsetting the allowed price increases for 2014/15, meaning that bills will go up by no more than inflation.Engineering firm AMEC was a heavy faller today after going ex-dividend. Others in the FTSE 350 including Johnson Matthey, Vedanta Resources, Lancashire Holdings, 3i Infrastructure, UDG Healthcare, Telecom Plus and Dunelm also went ex-div this morning.Insurance group Aviva was making gains after Nomura raised its target price for the stock and maintained a 'buy' rating, saying that the stock remains "relatively cheap" despite the impressive performance over recent few months.NMC Health was a standout performer this morning, rising as much as 10% after the Dubai government said that healthcare insurance will become mandatory for all residents, at the expense of the employer. Analyst Ingeborg Øie from Jefferies said that the reform was "the catalyst we have waited for".Banknote printer De La Rue was in the red this morning, pulling back after a strong rise the day before after its first-half report. The stock was being weighed down this morning by Citigroup which downgraded its rating from 'buy' to 'hold'.FTSE 100 - RisersCompass Group (CPG) 956.50p +3.24%Mondi (MNDI) 1,010.00p +1.92%Aviva (AV.) 432.70p +1.84%Sports Direct International (SPD) 720.50p +1.84%ITV (ITV) 189.90p +1.66%Rexam (REX) 498.90p +1.63%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,154.50p +1.43%United Utilities Group (UU.) 666.00p +1.37%WPP (WPP) 1,365.00p +1.34%Centrica (CNA) 340.20p +1.07%FTSE 100 - FallersAmec (AMEC) 1,140.00p -2.56%BAE Systems (BA.) 422.60p -1.65%Antofagasta (ANTO) 770.00p -1.16%Carnival (CCL) 2,222.00p -0.76%Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,725.00p -0.75%Shire Plc (SHP) 2,784.00p -0.68%Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 2,054.50p -0.51%Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 3,204.00p -0.50%BP (BP.) 484.55p -0.50%Bunzl (BNZL) 1,390.00p -0.43%FTSE 250 - RisersIP Group (IPO) 192.00p +8.54%NMC Health (NMC) 410.00p +7.75%BTG (BTG) 548.00p +4.98%Hochschild Mining (HOC) 132.20p +4.09%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 19.06p +3.08%Perform Group (PER) 464.90p +2.99%Electra Private Equity (ELTA) 2,367.00p +2.91%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 169.10p +2.80%Greene King (GNK) 865.00p +2.43%Renishaw (RSW) 1,883.00p +2.34%FTSE 250 - FallersDe La Rue (DLAR) 857.50p -6.39%Lancashire Holdings Limited (LRE) 780.00p -4.88%Kazakhmys (KAZ) 223.50p -4.61%Telecom Plus (TEP) 1,877.00p -2.70%3i Infrastructure (3IN) 126.80p -2.61%UDG Healthcare Public Limited Company (UDG) 305.90p -2.14%Partnership Assurance Group (PA.) 303.80p -1.97%Evraz (EVR) 104.30p -1.79%Mitie Group (MTO) 309.20p -1.59%Diploma (DPLM) 723.00p -1.57%BC