William Hill creeps higher amid talk of consolidation There may be further deals to come in the gaming sector should William Hill make a successful bid for Sportingbet and buy Playtech out of its minority stake in their online joint venture. Bwin.party, which slipped 1.2 to 103.9p, and 888 Holdings, unchanged at 92p, could ultimately become targets of William Hill, according to Peel Hunt analyst Nick Batram. Should the bookmaker acquire Playtech's 29pc stake in William Hill Online and complete a deal with GVC Holdings for Sportingbet, the group "will become a credible global consolidator," Mr Batram said, adding that the company is likely to turn to equity investors to help finance a Sportingbet deal. William Hill shares added 0.8 to 316.8p. Overall, the blue-chips failed to end the third quarter on a positive note, with the FTSE 100 37.35 points lower at 5,742.07, while the FTSE 250 shed 20.30 to 11,734.10. Nervousness ahead of the results of Spanish bank stress tests, released after the close, weighed on sentiment. Still, London's benchmark index has risen 3.1pc since the start of July. Weir Group climbed 2.3pc early in the session, which one dealer said was due to speculation Siemens could be a potential suitor for the pump maker. However, the chatter quickly receded and Weir ended the day down 10p at £17.68. Meanwhile, Wolseley advanced 7p to £26.42 on hopes for the US construction industry, which Deutsche Bank believes is continuing to improve. The broker lifted its recommendation to "buy" from "hold." Among the mid-caps, a profit warning sent shares in Electrocomponents tumbling 19.4 to 200.3p, the heaviest FTSE 250 faller. The electronic parts supplier cautioned investors that first-half gross margin was hurt by more customer discounts as well as higher sales of lower margin products. London Stock Exchange Group followed closely behind with a drop of 82 to 943p. The bourse revealed that current proposals from Europe would mean clearing house LCH.Clearnet, which the LSE agreed to take control of in April, would have to boost its regulatory capital by as much as €375m (£299m).