By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC
led the U.K.'s FTSE 100 index to a strong start to the week, after
the consumer-product company said it plans to spin off a
division.
The benchmark index gained 0.1% to 6,798.04, partly recovering
from Friday's 0.4% decline.
Reckitt Benckiser put on 3.5% after the company said it will
pursue a demerger of its pharmaceutical unit to focus more on its
core consumer health and hygiene business. Additionally, Reckitt
Benckiser reported a 7% fall in second-quarter sales.
Shares of EasyJet PLC climbed 0.9% after Citigroup upgraded the
airliner to buy from neutral.
On a more downbeat note, shares Aberdeen Asset Management PLC
slumped 5.1% after the company reported a decline in third-quarter
assets under management.
Shares in GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) slipped 0.2% after the
British drug giant's chief executive said the company is open to
spinning off its consumer health-care business, speaking in a
Financial Times interview published Sunday.
Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LYG) was also in the spotlight after
U.S. and U.K. authorities imposed roughly $370 million of fines on
the bank for attempting to rig the London interbank offered rate,
or Libor, and other widely used interest-rate benchmarks. Lloyds
shares were broadly unchanged.
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