Friends Provident shares rise after results
The group said sales of life savings and pension products rose 7% to 142 million on an annual premium equivalent basis - a standard measure used to iron out short-term volatility.
The result boosted Friends shares by over 8% and gave some relief to an insurance sector that has been hammered this year by the stock market slump. Rival Britannic added 4.8% and Legal & General rose 2.9%.
