Trading was thin among London shares this morning as the Christmas season set in.
But a handful of announcements and continued interest in the technology sector helped the FTSE-100 Index of leading shares gain 13.9 points to 6738.5 just before 9am.
Leading the blue chip risers was Footsie newcomer ARM Holdings. The chip design firm continued its seemingly unstoppable rise, gaining 505p to £44.75.
CMG the computer services group which also joined the Footsie today gained more modestly rising 11p to £42.30.
Internet stocks again enjoyed a flurry of trading. Investment vehicle Netvest jumped 43p to 172.5p as the AIM-listed company announced interim results and reported a five fold jump in the value of its investments.
Other Internet risers were Freeserve up 42p to 485p, Exchange Holdings up 27.5p to 397.5p and Easynet up 12.5p to £15.32.5.
Insulation company SIG hotted up after its announced it had received a potential takeover approach.
Shares in SIG gained 59p to 283.5p.
Flooring group BLP went in the opposite direction – down 20.5p to 60p – after it said profits for the full year would be flat.
The merger of US drugs groups Monsanto and Pharmacia & Upjohn gave a further stir to the pharmaceuticals pot.
But the UKs leaders were almost unmoved, AstraZeneca rose 11p to £25.59 Glaxo Wellcome gained 10p to £17.01 and SmithKline Beecham rose 3.5p to 789.5p.
PA News 19/12/99
