London close: Footsie flat, gains pared after US data

- Stocks wobble after US data, French rumours- Spanish auction strong- Cable and Wireless Worldwide extends offer deadlineAfter a solid start, London's blue chip index finished flat on Thursday as weaker-than-expected economic data from the US dampened sentiment late on.US stocks started cautiously on Wall Street as some upbeat earnings results from banking giant Bank of America and Morgan Stanley were offset by a barrage of gloomy economic data. Weekly initial jobless claims fell by a less-than-anticipated 2,000 to 388,000 last week, while the previous week's figures were revised higher. Both existing home sales and the Philly Fed manufacturing index also missed expectations."With jobless claims now at their highest since January, and non-farm payrolls for March coming in so far below expectations at 120,000, questions need to be asked about whether US can sustain the recovery, which will inevitably lead to rumours of when the next round of QE will begin," according to market analyst Craig Erlam from Alpari.Markets across Europe were given a boost in morning trade after Spain saw strong demand for its bonds at a much-anticipated auction. The Spanish Treasury issued €2.54bn in two- and 10-year bonds, slightly above the top end of the €1.5-2.5bn target, and while yields increased at both issuances, demand appeared solid with bid-to-cover ratios rising strongly. However, rumours that ratings agency Fitch could downgrade France's sovereign debt rating - albeit later denied - provided some downward pressure. "The fact that the French rumour is now only a rumour and the subsequent jitters in Spain just show you how markets feel about us: sell at any opportunity," said Predrag Dukic, a trader at CM Capital Markets in Spain (cited by MarketWatch).FTSE 100: Hargreaves up, Man downHargreaves Lansdown, the financial services provider and asset management group, rose strongly after seeing a record level of Assets under Administration (AuA) in the three months to March 31st despite the tough macro-economic conditions. Hedge fund manager Man Group was a heavy faller by the close. The group recently issued a downbeat note in which it fretted over the growing prospect of Spain asking for a bailout, and also expressed concerns about the strength of the US and Chinese economies. The group's flagship fund, AHL, lost value last week.Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline finished higher despite revealing that it made an offer on April 11th to purchase US biopharmaceutical firm Human Genome Sciences, but has seen its bid "rejected without discussion".Barclays finished lower after announcing that 50% of CEO Bob Diamond's 2011 all-share bonus award - the source of much controversy - will be linked to the bank's future return-on-equity performance. The company admitted that the returns produced last fiscal year were "unacceptable on an absolute basis".Engineer IMI was a high riser after Jefferies upgraded its rating on the stock from hold to buy, saying that while the group isn't exactly geared for high growth, it does provide high returns. Insurance group Prudential was also gaining after some positive broker commentary with UBS raising its target price on the stock.FTSE 250: Talvivaara plummets, Cable & Wireless Worldwide extends deadlineMining group Talvivaara dropped after reiterating that full-year nickel production will be at the lower end of its guidance and saying that it has made an operating loss for the first quarter. With just 25 minutes before the bid deadline of 17:00 today, telecoms group Cable & Wireless Worldwide said it had extended the time required for Vodafone to come up with a formal offer for the group. Shares sank by as much as 24% in early trading after the news that India's Tata Communications was out of the running after having decided not to bid, leaving Vodafone the only shark circling the ship. CWW said late on that "There can be no certainty that any offer will be made, nor as to the terms of any offer." Shares were down just 8% by the close.High Street betting shop Ladbrokes rose strongly after net revenue in the first three months of 2012 improved by 8.9%. FTSE 100 - RisersHargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 508.50p +5.61%Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 844.00p +3.81%Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 274.40p +2.35%Aggreko (AGK) 2,288.00p +2.10%Serco Group (SRP) 563.50p +1.99%Prudential (PRU) 755.50p +1.89%Croda International (CRDA) 2,257.00p +1.85%Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT) 2,545.00p +1.68%Intertek Group (ITRK) 2,605.00p +1.64%IMI (IMI) 974.00p +1.51%FTSE 100 - FallersMan Group (EMG) 93.40p -6.22%CRH (CRH) 1,212.00p -2.96%Aviva (AV.) 299.60p -2.63%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 23.84p -2.42%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 29.29p -2.27%SSE (SSE) 1,331.00p -1.84%Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. (ENRC) 559.50p -1.67%Shire Plc (SHP) 1,995.00p -1.48%Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 2,122.50p -1.46%Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 294.20p -1.37%FTSE 250 - RisersRenishaw (RSW) 1,450.00p +7.57%Ladbrokes (LAD) 173.40p +6.51%Exillon Energy (EXI) 141.10p +5.93%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 53.75p +5.19%Dixons Retail (DXNS) 17.95p +4.97%Ashtead Group (AHT) 261.60p +3.65%Fenner (FENR) 456.50p +3.37%Spirit Pub Company (SPRT) 55.25p +3.27%William Hill (WMH) 266.80p +3.17%Atkins (WS) (ATK) 760.00p +2.91%FTSE 250 - FallersTalvivaara Mining Company (TALV) 190.90p -15.16%Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CW.) 34.00p -8.23%Computacenter (CCC) 407.00p -5.70%Kesa Electricals (KESA) 54.15p -5.25%Home Retail Group (HOME) 99.60p -4.14%African Barrick Gold (ABG) 355.00p -3.77%Petropavlovsk (POG) 478.50p -3.68%Kier Group (KIE) 1,136.00p -3.65%Essar Energy (ESSR) 140.40p -3.64%Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 158.80p -3.64%BC