British American Tobacco downgraded to 'hold' amid weak core sales despite growth in new products.

FTSE 100 dips as AstraZeneca falls on merger talks; housebuilders rise amid lower oil and bond yields.

The FTSE 100 fell 30 points to 10,838, dragged down by AstraZeneca's 9.3% drop following reports of merger talks with Bristol Myers Squibb, which raised concerns over strategic fit and antitrust issues. Commodity giants like Rio Tinto and BP also dec...