Both the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250 ended the session and the week higher in London on Friday. The 100 added 0.3 percent on the session, for its fifth gain in a row, and gained 2.2 percent on the week when it closed at 6,152.4. The 250 was up 0.5 percent on Friday and added 2.3 percent for the week to close at an all-time high of 10,944.
Premier Oil added 3.3 percent on Friday to €12.45 on an upgrade to “buy” from UBS despite having declined 10.5 percent on Thursday after bids talks were ended. Other gainers included chemicals group ICI, which added 2.4 percent to 426p on continuing rumors that Akzo Nobel is interested. Corus was 0.6 percent higher to 500p on speculation that a bid from CSN of Brazil is imminent. EMI gained 3.2 percent to 295¾p on talk that it could soon receive an offer from a private equity group.
There were declines on the day, as well. Tobacco company Gallaher, up recently on bids rumors, dropped 1.5 percent to £11.72 after UBS said it thinks that the bid, said to be coming from Japan Tobacco, will be £11.50 per share at the highest.
The mining sector was down after Merrill Lynch cut the entire sector to “neutral”, using as its pretext questions about the prices of base metals. Rio Tinto dropped 1.8 percent to £27.54, while BHP Billiton fell 2.8 percent to 945p. Kazakhmys was 3 percent lower to £11.60, Xstrata declined 3.2 percent to £23.37, and Antofagasta dropped 4.2 percent to 517½p.