FTSE falls on Barclays deal

Barclays is the biggest loser with a fall of 1.87% to 736p, as the bank announced it has agreed terms to buy Dutch rival ABN Amro in an all-share deal worth just over €67bn, while AstraZeneca is down 1.56% to £29.07, as it has agreed to buy US biotech MedImmune for $15.2bn. Centrica is also down 1.16% to 384.75p, closely followed by Royal Bank of Scotland Group which has slipped 1.09% to £20.02, while miner Xstrata is down 0.97% to £27.51, although Shire is limiting losses with a rise of 0.74% to £10.91. However, brewer Scottish & Newcastle is posting the biggest gains with a rise of ...