Reiterated broker recommendations to buy banking and financial stocks led to another day of activity in Lloyds Banking Group, Standard Life and Barclays stocks.

Trading figures from Barclays Stockbrokers show that investors snapped up Lloyds Banking Group, with the stock accounting for 10.2 per cent of all purchases yesterday.

Barclays, meanwhile, sat in the second spot for full day trading, having occupied the same position in morning trades, this time at 7.3 per cent of overall activity.

However, despite broker warnings to sell Aviva, issued by Day by Day Capital earlier in the day, investors continued to buy the stock, with the insurer once again appearing in the top ten list and accounting for 1.3 per cent of yesterday’s trades.

Overall, UK stocks climbed yesterday as consumer confidence went some way into watering down the slower-than-expected growth in Britain’s economy and continued concern about China’s efforts to dampen growth.

This ongoing concern meant that Xstrata, Desire Petroleum and Rio Tinto continued to see considerable activity through the day.

Xstrata represented 3.8 per cent of all purchases yesterday while Desire Petroleum and Matra Petroleum accounted for 2 per cent and 1.8 per cent respectively.

Barclays Stockbrokers
Top ten trades
Tuesday 26 January 2010

Buy
1. Lloyds Banking Group, 10.2 per cent
2. Barclays, 7.3 per cent
3. Xstrata, 3.8 per cent
4. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), 3.3 per cent
5. Desire Petroleum, 2 per cent
6. Matra Petroleum, 1.8 per cent
7. Rio Tinto, 1.7 per cent
8. BP, 1.5 per cent
9. Aviva, 1.3 per cent
10. Rockhopper Exploration, 1.3 per cent
 
Sell
1. Barclays, 5 per cent
2. Lloyds Banking Group, 3.1 per cent
3. RBS, 3 per cent
4. Cadbury, 2.9 per cent
5. Matra Petroleum, 2 per cent
6. Desire Petroleum, 1.7 per cent
7. Rio Tinto, 1.4 per cent
8. Xstrata, 1.3 per cent
9. Gulf Keystone, 1.1 per cent
10. Falkland Oil & Gas, 1 per cent