Dow Jones

British American Tobacco is celebrating a new expansion deal with the Chinese government this morning, which in turn has helped lift the FTSE.

Unsurprisingly, Marks & Spencer's share price is taking a hit this morning, after Philip Green last night withdrew his £9.1bn bid for the retail chain, and has in turn dragged the FTSE lower.

Having had a tough day yesterday, traders on the London Stock Exchange lifted the UK's main indices and helped the major stocks Vodafone and Yell Group to end the day ahead of most other firms.

The FTSE 100 index has so far gained almost 2 points to 4,362 despite falls by BT and J.D. Wetherspoon.

Bigger UK stocks fell today sending the FTSE 100 down 33.20 points to 4,360.

Stuart Rose's proposals to reform Marks& Spencer Group and sell its financial services unit have knocked the confidence of its investors this morning and start the FTSE 100's week in the red.

Despite having pulled back a fraction yesterday, the UK stock markets are struggling to hold their positions again this morning as there's little to brighten investor potential.

The FTSE 100 Index closed down 12.3 points today at 4,358.40 after UK stocks fell, paced by AstraZeneca and Sage.

The benchmark FTSE 100 ended down 32.60 points today at 4,370.70 after UK stocks dropped, led by Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC.

The FTSE 100 index has so far lost around 18 points to 4,385 after Abbey National's share price fell on speculation it may sell off its life-assurance businesses.