Shares in diagnostics company Omega Diagnostics (ODX:AIM) advanced 3.5% to 64.2p on Tuesday after its partner Abingdon Health (ABDX:AIM) provided an update on the government's Rapid Test Consortium (RTC).Abingdon's shares, which listed on the AIM market on 15 December at 92p, were unchanged at 95p.SELF-ADMINISTERED ANTIBODY TEST The UK-RTC was formed in April to develop and manufacture a...

The FTSE 100 opens modestly higher at 7,040.6 buoyed by further sterling weakness and deal making in the tobacco sector.Cigarette manufacturer British American Tobacco (BATS) gains 2.3% to £49.13 as it announces a $47bn offer to buy the 57.8% of US peer Reynolds American (RAI:NYSE) it does not already own. The news accompanies an otherwise robust third quarter trading update, showing good...

Staffer RTC's big winMicro cap recruiter RTC (RTC:AIM) soared 68% after winning a staffing contract with Network Rail (25 Feb). The £10 million cap was also named 'key strategic partner' with the public sector body for the period 2014-2019. The deal has an order book value of £80-100 million says boss Andy Pendlebury. (WC)Housing market dipsHouse prices have declined for the first time in...

London's FTSE 100 is lifted 21.4 points higher to 6,968 in early deals on Monday, boosted by China's decision to cut interest rates over the weekend as well as stronger-than-forecast manufacturing data for February from the world's second biggest economy.Among the main risers is troubled African oil explorer Afren (AFR), which leaps 17.4% to 10.1p as it secures breathing space on debt...