Friends Prov pushes FTSE higher

Life insurer Friends Provident is posting the biggest gains so far with a rise of 5.67% to 205p, after it said sales in the last three months have beaten expectations with a 40% rise to £1.60bn, while Legal & General has climbed 1.58% to 144.5p. Drug developer Shire is also up 3.62% to 974p, closely followed by Standard Chartered bank which has climbed 2.05% to £14.94, while Intercontinental Hotels Group has gained 1.15% to £10.15. On the downside, Severn Trent is the biggest drag on the index with a fall of 1.62% to £13.96, closely followed by British Energy which is down 1.2% to 411p,...