Homebuilders lead gains
AB Foods up after Primark owner expects growth in new year
Energy shares drop on lower oil prices
FTSE 100 down 0.1, FTSE 250 adds 0.3

Nov 7 Reuters UK39;s midcap stocks edged higher on Tuesday, lifted by a slew of positive earnings, while the benchmark FTSE 100 was down as a drop in energy shares outweighed the gains in homebuilders and Associated British Foods.

The midcap index FTSE 250 rose 0.3, while commodityheavy FTSE 100 was down 0.1.

Homebuilders were the top gainers, rising 2.0 as British house prices ended six consecutive months of decline in October, reflecting the fewer number of homes being put up for sale.

Persimmon added 3.4 after it said it would build more homes this year than its earlier expectation.

Personal goods sector climbed 1.3, led by a surge in Watches of Switzerland as the company kept its sales and profit forecast for 2024 unchanged.

The stock soared 7.4.

Associated British Foods topped charts on FTSE 100, surging 6.8, after it forecast meaningful progress in its new financial year, driven by a strong recovery in the margin of its Primark fashion business.

It is a real mixed bag today. I think investors are just trying to really figure out what next, said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell.

On one hand, we39;ve got concern about potential recession but at the same time we have this expectation that interest rates won39;t stay as high for as long and certainly have now reached their peak…