BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The UK market's equity benchmark FTSE 100 moved in a tight band Friday morning amid stock specific activity. The mood remained cautious amid rising Middle East tensions with Iran and the U.S. engaging in tit-for-tat strikes.
The FTSE 100 was up 15.72 points or 0.15% at 14,488.17 nearly half an hour before noon.
Vodafone Group shares soared nearly 13% after UAE telecoms operator E& announced it would sell its entire stake in the British carrier to Vega.
Shares of EasyJet zoomed nearly 15% after the airline agreed in principle to a £5.7bn takeover proposal from U.S. private equity giant Apollo Global Management.
Recruitment specialist Hays surged 13% after saying its annual operating profit would land at the top of analyst forecasts.
Entain moved up by about 3%. Pershing Square Holdings, Antofagasta, BT Group, IAG, Airtel Africa, Prudential and Rio Tinto gained 1.5%-2%.
Anglo American Plc, Smith & Nephew, Compass Group, BT Group, Experian and Land Securities posted moderate gains.
St. James's Place tanked 8%. Imperial Brands, AstraZeneca, British American Tobacco and Rolls-Royce Holdings lost 1%-1.6%.
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