Hargreaves tops FTSE 100 leaderboard after record quarter

Hargreaves Lansdown has topped the FTSE 100 index in early trading after reporting record levels of assets under administration in its quarterly results this morning.

The wealth manager, which reported a record quarter of £1.8bn in net inflows to 31 March, rose 4.28% or 38.5p to 938.5p by early morning. That meant it bucked the trend seen across the wider index, which stood down 0.44% at 6,276. Another riser was Burberry Group, which rose 4.11% or 52p to £13.18, which reporting a 9% rise in underlying H2 revenue in an upbeat trading statement. The FTSE was dragged lower by a number of large-caps going ex-dividend this morning, including BG Group and Smith & Nephew. Mining stocks also continued to weigh on the index, with both BHP Billiton and...