Boots bid keeps FTSE higher

Alliance Boots posted the biggest gains with a rise of 7.24% to £11.26, as an agreed bid of £10.6bn from private equity firm KKR and deputy chairman Stefano Pessina worth £10.90 a share, has been topped by a Terra Firma-led consortium, which has upped its indicative offer from 1,085p to 1,126p cash. Standard Chartered bank also advanced 3.95% to £15.28, although miners were among the biggest gainers as Xstrata climbed 2.89% to £27.78, while Vedanta Resources added 2.84% to £14.13, and Lonmin rose 2.79% to £34.58. Intercontinental Hotels was the biggest loser with a fall of 2.39% to £12.2...