London stocks had turned higher by midday on Wednesday, helped along by well-received updates from the likes of Pearson and Burberry, as data showed that UK inflation jumped to its highest level in nearly three decades in December.
The FTSE 100 was up 0.2% at 7,582.06, while sterling was up 0.2% against the dollar at 1.3630.
Figures released earlier by the Office for National Statistics showed that consumer price inflation rose to 5.4% from 5.1% in November, coming in above consensus expectations of 5.2% and making it increasingly likely the Bank of England will raise rates again next month. The last time inflation was higher was in March 1992, when it was 7.1%.
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