Energy, miners boost FTSE; property stocks fall

                                
 * FTSE 100 outperforms European peers
                                
 * Commodity stocks gain on oil, metal price rises
                                
 * Property shares fall after more weak housing data
                                
 
                                
 By Simon Falush
                                
 LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Britain's index of leading
shares rose by midday on Monday, recouping some of last week's
losses, as energy companies benefited from stronger crude and
miners gained on higher metal prices.
                                
 By 1059 GMT the FTSE 100 <.FTSE> was up 35.5 points or 0.6
percent at 5,657.5, having closed down 87.6 points, or 1.5
percent, in the previous session.
                                
 Crude oil prices <CLc1> rose more than $1, edging towards a
record near $140 a barrel set last week as tension between Iran
and Israel countered the impact of Saudi Arabia's pledge to pump
more oil, and a vow by Nigerian militants to halt attacks.
                                
 This supported energy stocks, helping Royal Dutch Shell
<RDSa.L> rise 0.7 percent and BP <BP.L> rise 1 percent but the
biggest gainer in the sector was Centrica <CNA.L>, up 2.9
percent.
                                
 A rare loser in the energy sector was FTSE 250-listed Expro
<EXR.L>, down 3.3 percent after U.S. oil services firm
Halliburton said it had ended talks to buy its UK rival after
Expro refused to open an auction and opted for a 1.8 billion
pound ($3.5 billion) rival bid. [ID:nL22257030]
                                
 Property firms were the biggest losers after a survey by
property website Rightmove showed that asking prices for homes
in England and Wales were 0.1 percent higher on a year ago in
June, with the rate of annual price growth cooling from 2.2
percent in May.[ID:nL20586684]
                                
 Land Securities Group was the biggest loser in the FTSE 100,
down 2 percent [LAND.L] while British Land <BLND.L> was down 1.6
percent. 
                                
 "Resources stocks tend to perform better when sectors like
housebuilders suffer, and with housebulders and consumer related
stocks falling, there's been a rush into resources," said Andy
Ash, sales director at Insinger De Beaufort.
                                
 Liberty International <LII.L>, Britain's top shopping mall
owner, fell 2.8 percent after HSBC cut its price target to 565
pence from 680 pence.   
                                
 Mining companies performed strongly as metal prices rose
with Eurasian <ENRC.L>, up 2.3 percent and Anglo American
<AAL.L> up 1.1 percent.
                                
Xstrata <XTA.L> gained 1.7 percent after it said on Sunday
it will match a rival bid for Australian listed miner Indophil
Resources Ltd <IRN.AX> as competition for a giant undeveloped
copper mine in the Philippines heated up. [ID:nSYD19467].
                                
 However the FTSE 100 fell 3 percent last week and is down
over 12 percent this year and investors remain downbeat on the
prospects for the UK economy.
                                
 "I would expect energy stocks to do reasonably well and the
index is up after we had such a negative week last week," said
Peter Dixon, UK economist at Commerzbank. "However if you look
at where we are it's a small crumb of comfort in an otherwise
gloomy picture."

                                
 MIXED BANKS
                                
 Banks with international exposure performed well, with
Standard Chartered <STAN.L> and Royal Bank of Scotland <RBS.L>
up 1.8 and 1.3 percent respectively.
                                
 However banks with a predominantly UK focus fared less well.
                                
 Shares in HBOS fell 2.7 percent to the 275 pence rights
issue price as the threat that a big chunk of the shares will
not be taken up during the fundraising adds to mounting concerns
about UK economic prospects.  
                                
  Lloyds TSB <LLOY.L> fell 0.8 percent after people familiar
with the situation said it would consider a significant
acquisition and is looking at a possible deal in Germany.
[ID:nL21064611].
                                
 Barclays' <BARC.L> shares were also on the back foot, down
0.1 percent at 308.5 pence, and well below the 481 pence level
it held at the start of May.
                                
 The Sunday Times said claims by a senior member of the
Qatari royal family over an alleged 50 million euro fraud at
Barclays could flare up again just as the bank seeks to raise
funds from Qatar. [ID:nL2264629].
                                
 Barclays declined to comment.
 (Editing by Ian Jones)