Markets: How britain's biggest have performed

The best-performing stock on the FT-SE 100 index last week was Rentokil Initial, which rose 12.1 per cent on stock shortages ahead of the AGM held on Friday. The company, which was formed by Rentokil's merger with BET after a hostile bid last year, announced a one-for-one stock split effective from tomorrow.

The second best-performing stock of the week was Grand Metropolitan, which rose 10.3 per cent. Guinness was the third best, rising 9.8 per cent. The two companies announced plans to merge in a transaction valued at pounds 12bn. This will create the world's sixth-largest consumer products company and the UK's eighth-biggest public company.

The worst-performing stock on the index was clothing retailer Burton Group, which fell 9.39 per cent. Although the company announced sparkling figures for the first half with a 23 per cent rise in profit, investors are concerned that this cannot be sustained especially as the flagship Burton Menswear is suffering from declining sales.

The second worst-performing stock was Legal & General, which dropped 7 per cent. The shares had risen steeply ahead of the AGM and investors took the chance to lock in profits. Copyright: IOS & Bloomberg