London's FTSE 100 falls on COVID-19 risks; Signature Aviation surges

The FTSE 100 inched lower on Monday as a jump in coronavirus cases across Europe stoked worries about its near-term economic impact, while Signature Aviation surged on reaching an agreement for a takeover deal with Global Infrastructure Partners. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index dipped 0.1%, with mining and healthcare stocks leading the declines.

Britain's chief medical adviser warned that the next few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic will be the worst as the new, highly-infectious variants of the virus rampage across the country. Global coronavirus cases surpassed 90 million, as nations continue to scramble to procure vaccines and extend or reinstate lockdowns to fight new virus variants.

The mid-cap index rose 0.1%. British airline easyJet jumped 1.2% after it boosted its liquidity through a new five-year loan facility of $1.87 billion, backed by a partial guarantee from Britain.

Signature Aviation jumped 6% after Global Infrastructure Partners, the former owner of London's Gatwick Airport, said that it reached an agreement to buy the company for about $4.63 billion, trumping an approach from Blackstone Group.

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