large order - takeover?

Aquarius Platinum, however, was a mid-cap stock that moved against the trend, with shares in the mining company climbing 1.84 to 42.04p.

The move was thought to be boosted by the rumour of a large order in the market for the shares, which have fallen 86.5pc in the last 12 months and hit a low for the year of 40.2p on July 10.

The group, which has operations in Zimbabwe, prospered today despite UBS cutting its target price to 45p from 55p earlier in the week.

The company, which is the fourth biggest producer of the metal, is also facing calls from a union to re-open its Everest mine in South Africa, which it closed last month