(MENAFN- ProactiveInvestors) With US markets closed for Presidents Day it meant the afternoon session in Europe and the UK was a quiet one.
It was always going to be difficult for the blue-chip gauges to move higher given nerves around Ukraine and Greek debt talks.
The ceasefire in Ukraine barely a day old is already looking shaky.
Meanwhile finance ministers look as though they are fighting an uphill battle to hammer out an agreement between Greece and its partners.
In London the FTSE 100 was close to 10 points off and eventually finished 16 points lower at 6857.
France’s CAC finished 8 points lower at 4751 while Germany’s DAX lost 0.4% to 10919.
London’s biggest faller was () down 38p to 840p after analysts at downgraded the firm.
() had a tough day with shares 86p lower to 2509p as broker Jefferies cut its share price target on the product testing firm to 2300p.
Shares in engineering giant Rolls-Royce () were sent lower after it was revealed it has been dragged into a bribery scandal by Brazilian state oil producer Petrobras.
On the flip side () topped the FTSE 100 up 4% as Brent crude lifted to US$61 a barrel.
() also made gains on weekend speculation of takeover interest by an investment firm.
Outside of the FTSE 100 shares in () eventually finished 19% lower after it rejected a bid from () worth 200p a share.
FTSE 250 buildings giant () gained 1% as it sold an 80% stake in a wind-farm off the coast of Kent to infrastructure fund Equitix for £40mln.
was again in the doldrums falling by 3% as residual bid value was cancelled out.
Nigerian group SEPLAT revealed before Friday’s close that it would not being buying at this time.
Onto some small cap news - Tungsten's () shares steamed higher after Royal Caribbean Cruises joined the electronic invoicing firm's network
() finished 7% higher as it struck a deal to sell an 80% stake in the Tarbes Val d'Adour permit onshore France to Canadian firm .
() is to provide readers of the Sun newspaper with mobile phone games for prizes and cash. The shares advanced 6.5p 3.4% to trade at 198p.
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