LONDON (ShareCast) - 1630: Close The FTSE 100 ended up 11.13 points to 6749.45 after falling following the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in Ukraine. Tensions between Ukraine and Russia flared as the countries blamed one another over the shooting down of the aircraft which killed 298 people on board. The incident came after the US imposed further sanctions against Russia in an effort to curb the Ukraine turmoil. In Gaza, Israel intensified its land offensive in the area with artillery, tanks and gunboats. Palestinian health officials said 27 Palestinians had been killed since Israel sent ground forces into the strip on Thursday. ITV was the top riser after a big jump yesterday as investors continued to react to bid speculation following the purchase of a 6.4% stake in the broadcaster by Liberty Global.
1555: UK mortgage lending rose 4.4% to £17.5bn in June compared to a month ago, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CMS) on Friday. It was 17% higher than June last year and the highest monthly figure since October 2013.
1507: The University of Michigan released its consumer confidence index which fell to 81.20 in July from 82.5, surprising analysts that expected it to rise to 83.
1324: Mortgage approvals fell in the three months to May, according to the latest figures from the Bank of England. The central bank's Trends in Lending report noted said the slowdown in approvals might reflect the introduction of the Mortgage Market Review as banks introduced new processes and trained staff.
1202: Royal Bank of Scotland Group Chief Executive Officer Ross McEwan has said there is a "good chance" that the taxpayer will make its money back when the Government eventually sells its stake in the bank.Ross McEwan told LBC Radio: "We're on a path to making a good bank, and a good bank will get a good price".
1120: Shares in AstraZeneca are rising after Exane BNP Paribas said it sees at least a 50% chance that Pfizer will return with a sweetened offer for UK rival AstraZeneca following its failed takeover earlier this year. The bank said it expects another approach in November, when restrictions under takeover panel rules expire.
1039:Shire is the biggest riser on the FTSE 100 after AbbVie agreed a £31bn takeover of the British pharmaceutical firm.
0955:The UK's competition watchdog has signalled its intention to launch a sweeping investigation into banking sector which could see the nation's four biggest high street banks forced to break themselves up. The new Competition and Markets Authority has set out its proposals for an 18-month investigation into the major banks including the big four - Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Barclays.
0838: The UK stock market and indices across Europe have opened in the red as investors scale back risk in response to heightened geopolitical tensions in eastern Europe after the downing of a commercial aircraft yesterday. US stocks tumbled last night while markets in Asia overnight were under heavy selling pressure. Defensives are performing well this morning as investors flee for safety with utility peers Severn Trent, United Utilities and SSE among the few risers on the blue-chip index. Meanwhile, housebuilder Barratt Developments is leading the faller after Liberum downgraded the stock to 'hold'. The FTSE 100 is down 29 at 6,709.
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