FTSE Moves: Top flight stocks fall as Admiral warns of Brexit fears

The London market edged lower as insurer Admiral saw Brexit fears overshadow record half-year results.

The FTSE 100 Index fell 13.9 points to 6880, after Admiral said market volatility and falling interest rates after the EU referendum had dented its capital reserves sending shares lower.

The top flight insurer said its pre-tax profit lifted 4% to £193m, but admitted that market turmoil after the EU vote had dragged its solvency ratio from 206% to 180%. Shares slumped 8%, or 185p to 2069p.

Traders were unmoved by the total UK unemployment rate dropping by 52,000 to 1.64 million between April and June in the run-up to the Brexit vote, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The number of people on the claimant count in July, the first month since the UK's vote to leave the EU, was 763,600, down 8,600 from June.

In afternoon trading the biggest risers on the FTSE 100 Index were CRH (+70p to 2582p), BT Group (+5.8p to 398.4p), Whitbread (+50p to 4051p), Persimmon (+16p to 1752p) and Carnival (+26p to 3649p).

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 Index were Admiral Group (-185p to 2069p), Standard Chartered (-21.3p to 631.8p), Antofagasta (-15.5p to 543p), Glencore (-5.1p to 191.8p) and Anglo American (-21.4p to 868.6p).

In afternoon trading the biggest risers on the FTSE 250 Index were Indivior (+36p to 337p), Balfour Beatty (+17.1p to 261.5p), Savills (+45.5p to 744.5p), Daejan Holdings (+235p to 5690p) and PayPoint (+33.5p to 997.5p).

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 250 Index were Laird (-24.6p to 306.4p), Hochschild Mining (-17.3p to 296.4p), Ibstock (-9p to 171.6p), Euromoney (-42p to 1067p) and NMC Health (-45p to 1285p).