FTSE rises in early morning trade
Shares in BT Group and Wickes owner Travis Perkins took centre stage during a busy session for corporate results.
The pair registered gains of more than 10% amid signs that they may be over the worst of their recent trading woes.
The wider London market also held firm in the face of the deluge, with the FTSE 100 Index up 25.6 points at 4573.1 in the first hour of trading.
BT topped the Footsie risers board, ahead 12.45p to 125.15p, after it said there had been a quarter-on-quarter improvement in trading at its troubled IT services division.
It was followed by engineering giant Rolls-Royce, which climbed 21.25p to 396.5p, as it reiterated its profits guidance for the financial year.
Among the fallers in the top flight, Reed Elsevier slid 15% after the Lexis Nexis firm announced plans for a share issue in order to pay down debt.
Shares tumbled 73.25p to 407p. British Gas firm Centrica was another faller, down 6p to 225p, after half-year profits declined 5% to £936 million.
In the FTSE 250 Index, Travis Perkins jumped 68p to 768p as it posted a 27% drop in half-year profits but reported signs that some of its markets were beginning to stabilise.
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