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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| London Market Report | London Market Report |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| (Close): The London market held steady on Friday, with the FTSE 100 index closing up 17.8 points at 6,690.17. | |
| Shares across Europe had been hit on Thursday by worries over Portugal's largest listed bank, but markets saw a modest rebound on Friday. | Shares across Europe had been hit on Thursday by worries over Portugal's largest listed bank, but markets saw a modest rebound on Friday. |
| Imperial Tobacco rose 3% after saying it was in talks with US firms Reynolds and Lorillard to buy brands that might become available if the two merge. | |
| The two US cigarette makers have said they are in talks over a merger. | The two US cigarette makers have said they are in talks over a merger. |
| "The USA remains one of the world's largest and most profitable cigarette markets," Imperial said. | "The USA remains one of the world's largest and most profitable cigarette markets," Imperial said. |
| The biggest drag on the index came from mining shares, with Randgold Resources down 2.2% and Fresnillo 1.8% lower. | |
| On the currency markets, the pound edged 0.15% lower against the dollar to $1.71070 and dipped 0.07% against the euro at 1.26220 euros. | |