A sluggish start on Wall Street didn't hamper the FTSE too much this afternoon, as financials drove the index to a solid gain of 34.8 points, or 0.54%, to 6535.2.
News deal maker Chris Flowers is edging closer to a takeover has led Northern Rock to the day’s best performance. The lender closed Wednesday up 16.2 points, or 11.95%, to 151.8. Alliance & Leicester and Old Mutual continued the good day for the sector, up 7.06% to 880 and 4.74% to 168 respectively. Vodafone lead the losses this afternoon, the mobile network operator fell 4.4 points, or 2.51%, to 171.1. Home Retail didn’t fare too much better, dipping 9.25 points, or 2.27%, to close on 398.25. In New York, Wall Street opened lower across the board, but is headed in the right direct...
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