 Barclays could be heading towards American ownership |
Shares in Barclays Bank have risen 3.25% on continuing speculation that it may receive a takeover bid from Bank of America, the second-largest US lender. Following press reports, an analyst at investment bank Merrill Lynch said he believed Bank of America was "very interested" in the UK firm.
Edward Najarian said Barclays, Britain's third-largest bank, would be a "perfect fit" for the US giant.
Bank of America, whose shares fell 1%, has plans to expand overseas.
Share sale
Neither of the two banks has yet commented on the link.
Rumours of Bank of America's interest in Barclays comes as Barclays' outgoing chairman Matt Barrett said he had sold 2.3 million shares in the UK firm.
Analysts said the move appeared to be an attempt to signal that Barclays had not received any approach from the Americans.
Yet the analysts said they thought a bid could still be imminent.
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