London open: Footsie makes dull start

26th Mar 2010 08:52

London has made a subdued opening with company news thin on the ground and a weak close in the US overnight.Property companies are the best performers, with Hammerson, Segro, British Land and Liberty the four highest risers so far.Cable & Wireless's demerger is bound to cause some confusion this morning. Cable & Wireless has split into two, with both halves now separately listed and called Cable & Wireless Communications and Cable & Wireless Worldwide. Temporary power and heating specialist Aggreko has won a €35m contract to help alleviate the Côte d'Ivoire's problems with power cuts. F&C Asset Management has said it won't be launching a bid for Austrian fund manager C-QUADRAT Investment just a few days after making public its takeover plans. Footwear and condom group SSL expects sales this year to come in at about £795m for the year to March, up 22% and driven by the acquisitions of BLBV in Russia and Gainbridge in the Ukraine. SSL's branded consumer sales are expected to be approximately £630m or underlying growth of around 4% adjusting for currencies.Banknote printer De La Rue has confirmed it is selling its stake in UK Lottery operator Camelot Group and Camelot's sister company, Camelot Global Services, for £77.8m in cash to Premier Lotteries UK Limited, a company controlled by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.Home maintenance specialist Homeserve's profits this year will come in at the top end of market forecasts after a strong finish with high levels of renewals and new policy sales. Trading conditions are beginning to improve at business publisher Euromoney Institutional Investor, which expects adjusted profit to have risen at least 27% in the first half.