The FTSE 100 is up 28.3 points, or 0.44%, to 6,468.9 in early trading, as the possibility of a bidding war for Alliance Boots pushes the index higher.
Alliance Boots is posting the biggest gains with a rise of 6.1% to £11.14, on reports it has agreed a £10.6bn offer from private equity firm KKR and its own deputy chairman, which at £10.90 a share in cash is just higher than the £10.85 offered by a rival consortium led by private equity group Terra Firma. Old Mutual is also up 2.2% to 176.6p, closely followed by Vodafone which has added 2% to 143.1p, while Next is up 1.92% to £22.31, and Barclays has gained 1.42% to 748.5p. WPP is the biggest loser with a fall of 2.66% to 750.5p, while Smith & Nephew is down 0.96% to 621p, Interconti...
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