The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)

Index aided byretail takeover

- BY KALYEENA MAKORTOFF

The FTSE 100 Index avoided the declines suffered by its continenta­l peers yesterday, cushioned by a weaker pound and a jump in Tesco’s share price after the supermarke­t giant received provisiona­l approval for its £3.7billion takeover of Booker.

London’s blue-chip index ended the day flat, down just 0.01% or 0.76 points at 7,414.42, leaving it in a stronger position than the French Cac 40 and German Dax, which were down around 0.5% and 0.3%, respective­ly.

Tesco rose 11.05p to 188.05p as investors reacted to its acquisitio­n news. Booker ended the day as one of the best performers in the FTSE 250 Index, up 13.4p at 212p.

Mining firms were among the worst performers after Chinese data covering fixed asset investment, industrial production and retail sales came in below expectatio­ns.

Rio Tinto fell £1.07 to £35.92, Anglo American was off 42p at £14.55 and Antofagast­a slid 25.5p to £9.49.

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