UK’s FTSE 100 falls as miners slip, financials cap losses

London’s FTSE 100 edged lower in early trade on Friday for the fifth straight day, as mining stocks lost ground, tracking weaker copper prices, although gains in financials limited losses.

The blue-chip index was up 0.1%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 added 0.3%, as of 0714 GMT.

Life Insurers advanced 1.7%, led by a 3.3% rise in Prudential (LON:PRU) after posting a 30% jump in new business profit.

Base metal miners led losses, down 1.6% and were on track for their biggest weekly drop in a month. [MET/L]

NatWest (LON:NWG) reported better-than-expected quarterly profit, despite a dour outlook for Britain’s economy. However its shares lost 5.8%, with the lender posting a 19.8 billion pound outflow in deposits.

Pearson (LON:PSON) rose 2.8% after the education group said it was on track to meet its annual guidance, and also deliver 120 million pounds ($150 million) of cost efficiencies this year.

Numis Corp surged 67.2% after Deutsche Bank (ETR:DBKGn) said it would buy the London-based institutional stockbroker and corporate advisor for about 410 million pounds ($511.2 million).