Vodafone Share News (VOD)

(ShareCast News) - News that CK Hutchison Holdings and VimpelCom had won European Union approval to merge, in the process creating Italy´s biggest wireless telecommunications provider, sent stock in Vodafone sharply lower and its sector gauge with it.Vodafone´s own unit in that Mediterranean country was thus left facing stiffer competition.Shares in Vodafone closed down by 2.83%, although their 200-day moving average helped to break the share price fall.However, it was Big Oil which acted as the biggest drag on the market on the heels of reports that Russia´s energy minister, Alexander Novak, had said no caps on oil output were needed with the price of crude trading at about $50.In parallel, manufacturing sector data which was released around the world on Thursday pointed to a lacklustre outlook for factory activity worldwide, according to economists, and hence potentially too for energy demand.BP and Royal Dutch Shell paced losses on the Footsie as a result.Drug giants AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline also gave back some ground despite the risk-off mood in markets.To take note of, perhaps, The Times reported that the former would pay $5.5m to settle an inquiry by US federal investigators into alleged improper payments by its staff to Chinese state healthcare officials between 2005 and 2010.Top performing sectors so far todayAutomobiles & Parts 7,619.76 +4.79%Food Producers & Processors 8,853.63 +1.27%Real Estate Investment Trusts 3,041.91 +1.25%General Retailers 2,705.51 +1.05%Financial Services 9,324.85 +0.94%Bottom performing sectors so far todayMobile Telecommunications 5,028.10 -2.65%Oil & Gas Producers 6,904.24 -2.12%Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology 13,997.19 -1.83%Industrial Metals & Mining 1,238.97 -1.72%Health Care Equipment & Services 7,610.04 -1.12%