Updates from Smiths Group, Close Bros and Balfour Beatty

The FTSE 100 trod water at 6,820.5 on Thursday. Royal Mail shares though posted a hefty slide, down 9.74% to 519p as concerns about parcel competition climbed. Shell and AstraZeneca shares also slid sharply while SABMiller shares lifted 3.45% to 3372p following emerging markets optimism.

The Dow Jones saw a 26.7 point clip, ending at 16,559.8; better Chinese numbers also lifted sentiment. %VIRTUAL-SkimlinksPromo%