Nationwide's Virgin Money swoop blasted by Aussies: Bank's biggest independent investor 'disappointed' with board agreeing £2.9bn takeover
TONY HETHERINGTON: Boss behind firms fined £340k for more than 1.4m nuisance calls is unmasked
Cash in on the Northern property boom as our experts reveal the university city that offers landlords a huge 14% annual return
Councils that ban you from car parks if your vehicle is TOO LONG: Five now have length restrictions as most authorities say they've no plans to extend bay sizes
86-year-old's woes with a faulty smart meter that sent his bills soaring show why so many people are shunning them, writes JEFF PRESTRIDGE
Gerald Seymour has written 40 pacy thrillers, but big screen success hasn't materialised: 'Hollywood silly money? I'd only have stuffed it under the bed!'
British businesses awash with 'accidental' bosses who have received no formal training, recruitment firm warns
Gold is seen as a solid investment in times of turmoil - experts share their 24-carat advice on how (and when) to get involved
MIDAS SHARE TIPS: Why it soon won't be hip to give the cold shoulder to Smith & Nephew
FTSE 100 hits an all-time high - but remember the stock market adage of 'sell in May and go away' says HAMISH MCARE
North Sea projects worth £21bn put at risk by Labour: Tax threat to British jobs and investment
Rachel Reeves wants to banish the idea that Labour is anti-business, but where is the 'white heat' revolution to revive Harold Wilson's glory days?
Helium and hydrogen company set to join stock market in boost for City
CITY WHISPERS: Bill Ackman's cerulean eyes charm 'Woodstock' crowd at Berkshire Hathaway
Should the Bank of England have cut interest rates instead of holding firm? The This is Money podcast
Households with emergency savings pots rises substantially in recent years - five financial trends revealed in new research
Families with TWO retired generations will surge to one million in a decade: Savings have to stretch further if you want to help out your loved ones
'My oven is redundant': Almost half believe ovens will be obsolete as air fryer craze shows no signs of slowing
Some sneaky estate agents only putting forward offers from buyers who use their in-house mortgage broker
From Victorian to Regency, the five most popular types of period property currently for sale revealed
Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25% for sixth time in a row - what it means for YOUR mortgages and savings
When will interest rates fall? Forecasts on when base rate will be cut - and what borrowers and savers should do
How much would a rate cut save you? Use our interest rate rise or fall mortgage calculator
We're financial experts - this is how you can use your Isa and pension to grow your wealth in the new tax year

FTSE preview: Shares flat; Anglo reports

By Reuters
Updated: 03:09 EDT, 18 February 2011

View
comments

The FTSE 100 index is seen opening flat, hovering near levels last seen in May 2008, following modest gains on Wall Street, with results from mining firm Anglo American likely to fall under the spotlight.

Dealers monitor their screens on the trading floor of IG Index in London

Friday feeling: There is little to drive shares today.

The UK blue chip index looks set to open down 1 to up 2 points, according to financial bookmakers, after it closed 2.11 points higher at 6,087.38 on Thursday - having broken through the 6,100 level to hit a fresh 2011 intra-day high of 6,101.42.

'As expected, buying dried up once the psychological 6,100.00 price was penetrated,' Enis Mehmet, an analyst at Autochartist, said.

'Despite the existence of a solid uptrend, the tendency has been for volume and volatility to dry up at new highs, suggesting that investors still favour buying dips.'

On the domestic economic data front, UK January retail sales data and the Bank of England January Trends in Lending survey are both due.

Traders said investors were likely to adopt a cautious stance as a two-day G20 meeting takes place in Paris, starting on Friday, and as tensions escalate in the Middle East.

The world's top central bankers will take centre stage on Friday ahead of the G20 meeting which appears set to struggle to make headway on an ambitious French agenda.

The monetary policy chiefs of the United States, euro zone, China, Japan and Britain will share a public platform in Paris, with their notable policy differences and worries about resurgent inflation of key interest to financial markets.

Parts of the Middle East and North Africa were set for renewed displays of public anger towards their governments on Friday, with the focus on Bahrain and Libya as protesters bury people killed in recent clashes.

No major US economic data is scheduled for release on Friday.

The board of Russia's TNK-BP is waiting for its management's proposal on a role in shareholder BP Plc's partnership with state oil company Rosneft, sources close to the board said.

Ireland's Greencore has teamed up with a private equity firm in an effort to top chicken tycoon Ranjit Boparan's takeover of the food manufacturer, the Daily Telegraph said.

The Daily Mail Market Daily Express market reports said talk swirled of revived bid interest for food ingredients firm Tate & Lyle from private US firm Cargill.

Talked swirled of bid interest for RSA from an overseas suitor, with the Daily Mail and Daily Express market reports naming Zurich Financial Services and German giant Allianz as potential 190-200 pence-a-share bidders, citing traders.

There will be results today from Anglo American, Rentokil Initial, Go-Ahead and Charter International.

Reader service: Free brochure guides

Completely free insider guides on the latest investing trends...

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.