Bid speculation leaves FTSE just below 6,000

However Royal & Sun Alliance posted the biggest gains with a rise of 4.33% to 150.75p, as the market seemed to welcome the news it is exiting its US operations, despite taking a hefty loss on the disposal through a management buyout. Pallet maker Brambles Industries ended the day with the second biggest gains of 4.27% to 488p, while Hanson is up 3.47% to 746p, following bid speculation on the two companies. Partygaming also performed well with a rise of 4.19% to 105.75, while BG Group climbed 2.56% to 660p, although gains were limited by Reuters which slipped 2.71% to 431p for the bigge...