Blue chips drive slight FTSE gain

The prospect of a takeover battle for ICI left shares in the Dulux-to-chemicals firm at a fresh eight-year high today.

The blue-chip stock was up 17%, a gain of 91.5p at 640.5p, as investors eyed further developments following the company’s refusal to engage in talks with Akzo Nobel at a potential bid price of 600p a share.