London's FTSE 100 touches fresh peak as miners, healthcare gain; Pearson drops

By Tharuniyaa .

Jan 14 (Reuters) - The UK's FTSE 100 scaled a record high on Wednesday, powered by gains in mining and healthcare stocks, while education company Pearson PSON.L fell after losing a New Jersey contract.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 0.3% as of 1010 GMT, following a subdued session the previous day. The domestically focused mid-cap index .FTMC was down 0.37%.

The precious metals and miners index .FTNMX551030 climbed 1.9% after gold prices jumped 1% to $4,632.03 per ounce, buoyed by softer U.S. inflation data that reinforced expectations of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and stoked demand for safe-haven assets amid geopolitical uncertainty. GOL/

"A more interventionist Donald Trump who is pressuring the Fed, demanding corporations do as he wishes, and plans to take Greenland are all driving flows into the relative safety of gold," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.

Separately, Bank of England policymaker Alan Taylor said UK interest rates should keep falling as inflation is on track to hit the 2% target by mid-2026, earlier than previously forecast.

London-listed miners rose, with Antofagasta ANTO.L, Rio Tinto RIO.L and Glencore GLEN.L gaining between 1.1% and 2.1%, boosted by higher copper prices. MET/L

The pharmaceutical index .FTNMX201030 also advanced, up 1.6%, helped by heavyweight AstraZeneca AZN.L after the drugmaker agreed to buy Boston-based Modella AI, as the industry increasingly uses artificial intelligence to speed up drug discovery.

Capping gains on the FTSE 100, the media index .FTNMX403010 slipped 2.8%, dragged by an 8% drop in Pearson PSON.L, the benchmark's worst performer.

The British education company reported that its biggest division, Assessment & Qualifications, lost a contract with New Jersey, which will be a headwind in the first half of 2026.

BP BP.L fell 1.3% after the oil major said it expects to book $4 billion to $5 billion in fourth-quarter impairments, mainly tied to its energy transition businesses.