Banking bid speculation lifts FTSE
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London equities were higher on the opening trading day of 2008, as a measure of bid speculation centred on Alliance & Leicester helped provide momentum.
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European equity markets were a little higher on Friday as energy stocks rose, offsetting losses for banks, while bid talk helped enliven the session.
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The FTSE 100 climbed above 6,000 on Tuesday afternoon as dealers digested the latest developments in the banking sector.
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London equities opened in positive territory on Thursday as a raft of bid news helped lift sentiment on the market. The FTSE 100 started trade up 0.3 per cent at 4,740.1 and the mid-cap FTSE 250 stayed flat at 6,755.7.
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The FTSE 100 bounced back on Thursday after better news from the retail sector and a continued rebound among the property companies.
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Hopes for fresh bid activity in the utilities sector helped London equities extend gains in midday trade on Monday.
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The FTSE opened higher on Friday as buyers returned to the market seeking bargains after Thursday's 150-point fall.
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Shares in Barclays  climbed for a second day on Friday as speculation mounted that Bank of America  could bid for the UK bank, with a leading analyst saying there could be strong merit to an acquisition.
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London equities made strong gains in opening trade on Tuesday, lifted by improving sentiment in the banking sector and a strong showing for resource stocks.
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London stocks were higher on Wednesday as banks rallied, with Northern Rock rising strongly after saying it had received a number of unnamed approaches.
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London equities made strong gains on Friday, as fresh bid activity energerised the mining sector and Wall Street took off after Microsoft made an offer for Yahoo.
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London equities made strong gains on Monday, with banking stocks at the forefront of the rally at the start of a busy week for newsflow in the sector.
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Takeover stories started to re-emerge as the FTSE 100 posted its first meaningful rise since the turmoil in global markets started last week.
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A new wave of bid activity helped European stock markets defy the gloom in the financial sector this week.
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Bid activity looked likely to keep London shares buoyant on Monday following last week's move on miner Rio Tinto, and Microsoft's offer for Yahoo in the US.
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Barclays raises its offer for the Dutch bank ABN Amro, after China and Singapore invest in the UK firm.
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European equities were a higher on Wednesday as bank stocks were moved by merger talk, while the broader market took the lead from Wall Street where the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high.