Strong miners offset weak Asia-focused financials

The FTSE 100 edged higher on Wednesday, with gains in Next and mining stocks offsetting a drag from lower Asia-focused finance stocks.The FTSE 100 index closed up 8.92 points, 0.1%, at 10,888.30. The FTSE 250 ended up 173.33 points, 0.7%, at 24,632.63, while the AIM All-Share closed up 7.42 points, 1.0%, at 781.78.Brighter economic data gave London a lift with the UK services PMI business activity index, issued by S&P Global, rising to 52.1 points in July from 48.8 in June, above the flash estimate of 51.8.New business increased for the first time since February, supported by stronger demand for technology services and tentative signs of a recovery in consumer spending.The UK composite PMI output index, combining manufacturing and services, rose to 52.2 points from 49.3 in June, also sligh