HOW BRITAIN'S BIGGEST HAVE PERFORMED

The best-performing stock on the FT-SE 100 last week was BTR, which rose 6.6 per cent. The stock has been one of the biggest fallers this year, down to a seven-year low as investors questioned whether the nine-month-old restructuring plan will prove effective. One broker has recommended the shares as a buy at these levels, and traders said the stock was due to bounce back.

The second-best performing stock was Siebe, which rose 4.85 per cent after the EU cleared its pounds 345m bid for APV. This will expand its industrial plant control systems unit.

The worst-performing stock in the index last week was BSkyB, which fell 16.5 per cent after reports that the company will be forced by the regulator to abandon its interest in digital television venture British Digital Broadcasting. Digital TV is likely to expand rapidly when it starts next year and BSkyB will be denied a major source of potential profits. The unexpected resignation of chief executive Sam Chisholm and his deputy David Chance also unsettled the shares.

The second-worst performing stock was Royal Bank of Scotland, which fell 10.9 per cent. Fears about the risks of investment banking after NatWest's problems, and falling bond prices, hurt stocks. Copyright: IOS & Bloomberg