Pubs group Mitchells & Butlers - currently facing a bid from rival Punch - is 10p higher at 467p after news of more stakebuilding.
A business called Unigra International, run by the Martini family, has bought 50,000 contracts for difference at 460p, taking its stake to 1.74%. It has been edging up its stake in the past few days. Despite the family name the company appears to specialise in baking and vegetable oils, although its website says it wants to expand internationally in catering and retail, and is looking for partners.
Elsewhere HSBC is 8.5p lower at 750.5p after talk of a Merrill Lynch note suggesting the bank could buy scandal-hit SocGen and move its headquarters to Paris.
And platinum specialist Johnson Matthey is down 77p to £18.62 as Citigroup downgraded. Citi said: "After breaking our £19 target price following an upbeat trading statement and site visit, we are downgrading our rating to hold, keeping our £19 target price."
All this has left the FTSE 100 up just 4.5 points at 5872.5.
