Standard Life leads the FTSE growth line

Standard Life’s announcement it will give policyholders some of the £1.3bn with-profits fund surplus led it to today’s strongest performance. The group closed up 18.5 points, or 6.38%, to 308.5. Speculation surrounding Friends Provident and M&A activity drove the insurer up ; it closed ahead 10.6 points, or 5.97%, to 187. The world's largest foodservice company, the Compass Group, also performed well – up 16.75 points, or 5.28%, to 334. Reckitt Benckiser lost the most ground, falling 11 points, or 0.41%, to 2652. In New York, the Dow Jones looks set to continue yesterday’s recovery, u...