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FTSE 100 bolstered by Madame Tussauds owner Merlin Help to Buy report hits housebuilder shares
(about 3 hours later)
Shares in RBS and Merlin Entertainments were boosted by their latest results, but the market was flat overall. Shares in housebuilders have fallen after a report raised the prospect of the government's Help to Buy scheme being wound down ahead of schedule.
Merlin shares rose nearly 2%, despite the firm - which owns the London Eye. Legoland and Madame Tussauds - saying recent terror attacks had led to fewer visitors to its city centre sites. The scheme - which aims to help first-time buyers - is to be reviewed, according to a report in Property Week.
The company reported half-year profits of £50m, unchanged from a year earlier. It said the review could look at tapering the system ahead of its scheduled closure in April 2021.
RBS shares rose 3.5% after the bank reported its first half-year profits for three years. Among the housebuilders on the FTSE 100, Persimmon and Barratt fell 4% while Taylor Wimpey dropped 3.5%.
The FTSE 100 index was up 6.43 points at 7,481.20 shortly before midday.
Shares in Merlin Entertainments rose nearly 2%, despite the firm - which owns the London Eye. Legoland and Madame Tussauds - saying recent terror attacks had led to fewer visitors to its city centre sites.
The company reported half-year profits of £50m, unchanged from a year earlier, although it said full-year profits were still set to meet expectations.
RBS shares rose 1.8% after the bank reported its first half-year profits for three years.
It made a profit of £939m in the first six months of the year, a big turnaround from the £2bn loss in the same period of 2016.It made a profit of £939m in the first six months of the year, a big turnaround from the £2bn loss in the same period of 2016.
The FTSE 100 was little changed in early trade, down 4.49 points at 7,470.28. On the currency markets, the pound was unchanged against the dollar at $1.3138 and was also flat against the euro at 1.1070 euros.
Shares in housebuilders were hit by a report in Property Week which said the government was reviewing its "Help to Buy" scheme.
Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon and Barratt Developments were all down by about 5%.
On the currency markets, the pound rose 0.1% against the dollar to $1.3156 and was also 0.1% higher against the euro at 1.1077 euros.