Prudential

Strong inflows into Prudential's asset management arm M&G and its with-profits products helped UK sales rise 3% to £548m for the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2009.

SECTOR ANALYSIS

Insurance giants Prudential and Standard Life are considering partial sales of their asset management arms.

AIG is set to press ahead with the IPO of its Asian arm AIA, which is likely to value the group at a lower price than the renegotiated offer it rejected from UK insurer Prudential.

A group of Chinese investors are in the "early stages" of considering a bid for Prudential, according to a weekend report.

A group of institutional shareholders is threatening to issue a joint letter demanding the resignation of Harvey McGrath as chairman of Prudential.

Prudential's 1.5% rise in early trading, following better than expected first-half profits, helped the FTSE edge 0.3% higher to 5257.79 points.

Prudential CEO Tidjane Thiam says he "very much regrets" the collapse of the insurer's giant $35.5bn AIA takeover, which has cost the company £377m.

M&G posted a 32% jump in net retail inflows over the second quarter, with the asset manager recording £1.92bn of net sales.

Prudential has posted a 41% jump in operating profit to £968m in the first half, well ahead of expectations.