London close: Stocks near 6,000 as rally continues

1st Jul 2011 16:27

London's leading share index made a valiant incursion towards the 6,000 point mark heading into the weekend, but fell just short.The gains capped a good week for the FTSE 100 following the Greek parliament's vote in favour of austerity measures that could mend its wrecked finances.Today's standout riser was mid-cap constituent QinetiQ, with shares in defence gadgets company on the attack amid talk of possible bid from a US rival. However, its gains were outdone by Hovis bread and Branston pickle Premier Food's losses. After yesterday's profits warning, Panmure Gordon chops its profit before tax forecast to £115m from £153m previously, and cuts its target price from 27p to 22p. Turning to today's news, water and waste management group Northumbrian Water has confirmed that it received a proposal about an offer from the Hong Kong infrastructure group Cheung Kong. The statement comes after Cheung Kong said on Monday that it was in the initial stages of sizing up an offer for the north-east England-based utility.Plant-based sweetener-maker Pure Circle has signed a global distribution agreement with the world's biggest fragrance and flavour company Firmenich. Under the agreement Switzerland-based Firmenich will have exclusive rights over NSF-02, a flavour modifier developed by Pure Circle to be used in combination with its sweeteners.Astra-Zeneca, the FTSE-100 pharmaceuticals firm, has won approval to sell its drug Nexium in Japan. The drug helps in the treatment of acid related conditions, including peptic ulcer disease.Budget airlines operator Flybe Group took off after saying that, along with its newly formed joint venture partner Finnair, it will acquire Finnish Commuter Airlines for €25m (£22.5m). FTSE 100 - RisersICAP (IAP) 497.20p +5.12%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 50.81p +3.69%Barclays (BARC) 265.55p +3.55%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 39.69p +3.20%Rexam (REX) 395.00p +3.19%ITV (ITV) 73.75p +3.15%Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. (ENRC) 800.00p +2.37%Schroders (SDR) 1,583.00p +2.33%John Wood Group (WG.) 662.00p +2.24%Man Group (EMG) 242.30p +2.24%FTSE 100 - FallersRandgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 5,175.00p -1.52%Intertek Group (ITRK) 1,945.00p -1.42%Next (NXT) 2,300.00p -1.08%Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 295.00p -0.91%BT Group (BT.A) 199.90p -0.79%Vodafone Group (VOD) 164.10p -0.73%Serco Group (SRP) 548.50p -0.72%WPP (WPP) 775.00p -0.64%Lonmin (LMI) 1,445.00p -0.55%Associated British Foods (ABF) 1,078.00p -0.46%FTSE 250 - RisersTullett Prebon (TLPR) 380.00p +7.25%QinetiQ Group (QQ.) 129.10p +6.96%International Personal Finance (IPF) 388.80p +5.68%Imagination Technologies Group (IMG) 397.80p +5.49%Stagecoach Group (SGC) 268.50p +5.17%Heritage Oil (HOIL) 230.00p +4.83%Morgan Crucible Co (MGCR) 321.40p +4.38%St James's Place (STJ) 353.50p +3.97%CSR (CSR) 321.60p +3.88%SIG (SHI) 141.80p +3.88%FTSE 250 - FallersPremier Foods (PFD) 17.08p -10.20%London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 1,033.00p -2.64%Anglo Pacific Group (APF) 311.10p -2.57%ITE Group (ITE) 212.80p -2.52%Carpetright (CPR) 637.00p -2.15%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 57.75p -2.04%Berendsen (BRSN) 535.00p -1.83%Hochschild Mining (HOC) 451.60p -1.74%Talvivaara Mining Company (TALV) 457.00p -1.72%Shanks Group (SKS) 125.80p -1.56%