Takeover talk sends FTSE skyward

ITV is leading the way on rumours of interest in BSkyB's stake in the broadcaster. It is 8.62% ahead to 41.60 so far. Financials are doing well on news Alliance & Leicester may be snapped up for £1.3bn. Lloyds TSB leads the sector, up 7.44% to 296. Standard Chartered is also doing well, up 5.74% to 1418. A Deutsche Bank downgrade has led Pearson lower; the media company is down 0.43% to 585.50. In New York, the Dow Jones IA fell sharply on Friday at the height of the Freddie Mac and Fannie May woes. US financial institutions were smacked on the negative sentiment, with the Dow closing 12...