BUZZ-Hochschild: bottom of FTSE 250 after pretax profit plunges

** Hochschild (-12.1 pct) set for biggest one-day percentage drop since May 2016, by far & away top faller on FTSE midcap index

** H1 pretax profit falls by more than a third after company incurred higher costs

** Higher investment in exploration-led growth and the cancellation of benefits from a Patagonian port late last year as well as refilling at one of its mines in Peru led to increase in overall costs

** Stock still up c30 pct this year compared with a 9.5 pct increase in the FTSE midcap index

** Most actively traded FTSE 250 stock on Wednesday, with 140% of 30-day daily avg volume through in more than an hour