* FTSE on track for fifth-straight session of gains
* HSBC gain after strong Q3; Barclays falls after results
* Vodafone doubles cost-cutting; H1 in-line
By Harpreet Bhal
LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Britain's leading shares were up
0.2 percent midday on Tuesday, led by HSBC <HSBA.L> after the
bank posted strong third-quarter results, offsetting weakness in
peer Barclays <BARC.L> and mobile phone group Vodafone <VOD.L>.
By 1150 GMT, the FTSE 100 <> was up 12.32 points at
5,247.50, on track for its fifth straight session of gains. The
market also drew strength from Wall Street overnight, where the
Dow Jones industrial average <> reached its highest in 13
months.
Heavyweight HSBC rose 4.4 percent after it said its global
banking and markets division was having a record year and that
losses on consumer loans had shown their first fall in three
years. []
Gains in HSBC were in contrast to a 3.8 percent fall in
Barclays <BARC.L> shares. The bank said strong investment
banking helped limit a fall in profit in the third quarter, but
traders were pessimistic about the outlook for its investment
banking operations in the coming months.
Within the sector, Lloyds Banking Group <LLOY.L> fell 0.3
percent, Royal Bank of Scotland <RBS.L> added 0.7 percent, while
Standard Chartered <STAN.L> advanced 1.2 percent.
The index hit a two-week high earlier in the session, but
analysts said shares could see some profit-taking before pushing
higher.
"For the FTSE the big level at the moment is 5,300, and it
would not be surprising to see markets mark time ahead of here
or even for some to book profits following the strong rise seen
so far this month," said David Jones, chief market strategist at
IG Index.
Among other gainers, Imperial Tobacco <IMT.L> gained 3.7
percent after the firm beat forecasts with an 18 percent rise in
annual earnings, while new chief executive-designate Alison
Cooper put an emphasis on boosting sales for the cigarette
group. []
Rival tobacco firm British American Tobacco <BATS.L> added
0.7 percent.
MINERS RETREAT
On the downside, mining stocks were under pressure as
commodity prices retreated after rising in the previous session.
Anglo American <AAL.L>, Antofagasta <ANTO.L>, Xstrata <XTA.L>
and Eurasian Natural Resources <ENRC.L> slipped 1.7 to 2.3
percent.
Among individual losers, Vodafone <VOD.L> was down 3.1
percent after reporting in-line results and an extension to its
cost-cutting programme to 2 billion pounds, as analysts warned
of underlying weakness and tough competition in emerging
markets.
Economic data suggested Britain could be moving steadily out
of recession, giving a further boost to positive sentiment for
equities.
House prices in England and Wales rose last month at their
strongest rate in almost three years, buoyed by tight supply and
record low interest rates, the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors said. []
Meanwhile, British retail sales rose last month at their
fastest annual pace since April to notch up their best October
showing for seven years, data from the British Retail Consortium
showed. []
