Lloyds Banking Group is among the early losers on Thursday despite reports it is considering a new form of capital to offer to shareholders in a bid to cut its use of the Government's insurance scheme for toxic assets.
Shortly after 9.30am, the company was down more than 2p, or 1.9%, to 106.4p, after the Times said the banking giant is discussing a new form of capital instrument to which investors can subscribe and which later convert to ordinary shares. The FTSE 100 has advanced into positive territory, gaining 4.36 points, or 0.09%, to reach 4,894. Medical supplier Smith & Nephew climbed more than 23p, or 4.61%, to 533.5p, while Kazakhmys, up 39.5p to 957p, and Invensys, up 9.1p to 271p, also made early strides. In the US, the Dow Jones finished marginally in the black on Wednesday, gaining 4.2...
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