FTSE 100 Live: London shares close in negative territory, pharma firm Ergomed in £700m takeover

London’s FTSE 100 index has made a strong start to the week, with China-sensitive stocks at the forefront of the buying. The momentum came as China’s latest property support measures led to a surge of more than 2% for the Hang Seng index. Private equity giant Permira’s £703 million deal to buy life sciences firm Ergomed is one of the day’s other major developments.