Merger talks between Croda and Ashland were called off in January - Reuters

Speciality chemicals manufacturer Croda called off merger talks with US rival Ashland in January.

According to a sourced report from Reuters, the details of the talks were not available.

Earlier, the FT Alphaville had noted market talk on Wednesday regarding a possible bid from Croda, albeit cautioning that speculation regarding a possible bid had first surfaced in 2014.

As of 1539 GMT, shares of Croda were 1.83% higher to 4,356p.