FTSE muted on mixed insurance sector

Aviva fell 9% by 8.30am as reports ING Canada is set to bid for its Canadian operation continue to dog the company. Elsewhere, Thomas Cook Group slumped 10%, or more than 23p, on the back of news it will reduce its capacity in anticipation of a sluggish tourism market. Combined, the losses helped pull the FTSE down more than 41 points, or 1.14%, to 3,651. Other insurers, including Standard Life and Admiral Group, climbed on Thursday, with the former advancing 3.47% and the latter climbing 3.2%. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell around 1.1% after a strong rally on Wednesday...