13 seconds ago 2009-12-11T16:50:01-08:00
LONDON (AFP) – The leading stock exchange held steady on Friday while British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia presented details of a merger.
The FTSE 100 index closed at 5,296.38 points, up 0.38 percent.
Lloyds was the most traded stock, seeing 74.7 million units change hands, followed by peer RBS, which saw 73.7 million shares switch owners.
Liberty International was top of the leader board gaining 19.0 pence -- or 3.92 percent -- to finish at 504.
Brit Land followed with shares gaining 13.5 pence -- or 2.79 percent -- to stand at 498.2.
The biggest casualties of the day were investment firm Resolution, which shed 3.5 pence -- or 3.65 percent -- to finish at 92.5, and ICAP, giving up 11.4 pence -- or 2.65 percent -- to end at 418.3.
Sterling edged higher against both the euro and the dollar.
The pound was worth $1.6659 at 16:58, up from $1.6576 at Thursday's close, while it climbed to 1.1198 euros from 1.1167 over the same period.
