The FTSE 100 index closed down 8.9 points at 4,396 today as negative newsflow continued to pressure the biggest telecoms firm.
Vodafone fell 2p to 131.75p after investors continued withdrawing money because of unspecified plans by the firm to launch a bid for AT&T Wireless in the US, while news from Germany raised the issue of the company’s massive aggressive bid for Mannesmann some four years ago. AstraZenica led the pharmaceutical sector down, shedding 60p to 2,594, while GlaxoSmithKline followed suit losing 19p to 1,173p. Daily Mail & General Trust fell 14.5p to 689p after competitor Richard Desmond, owner of the Express newspapers launched a counterbid for Daily Telegraph assets being sold by Conrad Black...
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