Morning Markets: FTSE buoyed by BA deal

The FTSE was up 40.81 points (0.84%) to 5,185.53, buoyed by news of a tie-up between British Airways and American Airlines.

BA rose 4.9% as investors welcomed plans by the US government to approve a link up between the troubled carrier and American Airlines. Mining shares also rose in early trade, with Rio Tinto up 2.14% to 1026.50p and Kazakhmys climbing by 1.84% to £12.76. Meanwhile, Barclays Bank climbed 1.6% to 265.70p ahead of its annual results on Tuesday. IT firm ARM Holdings was the biggest loser, down 0.56% to 196.30p, followed by ICAP, which fell 0.12% to 328.90p In the US the Dow closed down 45 at 10,099.14 following the surprise move by the Chinese authorities to lift the reserve requirement...