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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

FTSE 100 movers: Pearson rallies, NatWest falls on results

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was up 0.3% at 7,857.51 in afternoon trade on Friday. Pearson rallied as the education publisher said it was on track to meet annual guidance and announced a £300m share buyback to start in the second half of the year, as it posted a 2% jump in total group sales in the first quarter.

Prudential was also in the black as the Asia-focused insurer reported a jump in first-quarter sales and new business profit.

Smurfit Kappa gained as the corrugated packaging company posted a rise in first-quarter profit despite a dip in sales.

NatWest fell despite reporting better-than-expected first-quarter profit driven by higher interest rates, as it also posted a sharp drop in deposits as customers chased better rates, with incomes squeezed by rising inflation. Other banks followed suit, with Barclays and Lloyds also in the red.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: "A drop in customer deposits, while nothing like on the scale seen at other crisis-ridden banks, has helped put the wind up investors in NatWest.

"The gap between the amount NatWest charges for loans compared to what it pays out for deposits, also known as the net interest margin, is also tighter than many had hoped.

"This runs counter to Barclays' own first quarter numbers which showed higher base interest rates were feeding into a strong net interest margin.

"The disappointing news elsewhere overshadowed NatWest's better than expected earnings for the first quarter - driven by higher non-interest income and lower impairments on bad debts."

FTSE 100 - Risers

Pearson (PSON) 889.40p +4.07%

Prudential (PRU) 1,210.00p +4.04%

SEGRO (SGRO) 835.60p +3.08%

Land Securities Group (LAND) 674.60p +2.84%

Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI) (SKG) 2,920.00p +2.60%

Phoenix Group Holdings (PHNX) 595.00p +2.55%

Persimmon (PSN) 1,314.50p +2.50%

Reckitt Benckiser Group (RKT) 6,464.00p +2.41%

Scottish Mortgage Inv Trust (SMT) 629.60p +2.27%

Airtel Africa (AAF) 120.00p +2.21%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

NATWEST GROUP (NWG) 260.50p -4.30%

Diageo (DGE) 3,633.50p -2.19%

Weir Group (WEIR) 1,832.50p -1.87%

Ocado Group (OCDO) 503.40p -1.83%

Barclays (BARC) 159.26p -1.72%

Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 47.99p -1.70%

Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,463.50p -1.65%

British American Tobacco (BATS) 2,923.50p -1.33%

Fresnillo (FRES) 711.40p -1.28%

SSE (SSE) 1,828.00p -1.06%

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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