TAKING STOCK

r Christies International, the auctioneer, hardened to 209p as Joe Lewis, a secretive Bahamas-based investor, lifted his stake to 20.44 per cent, buying 4 million shares. Mr Lewis has been steadily building his Christies stake although the company has taken the view he is a passive investor with no intention of bidding. Mr Lewis, who once ran a London- based leisure business, is believed to speculate in the currency market. Christies is thought to be

his only big corporate investment.

r Shares of Psion, the hand-held computer group which have romped ahead, hit a buffer when NatWest Securities stopped market-making in the shares. With only Barclays de Zoete Wedd still acting, Psion will be relegated to the obscure Seat market. The shares fell 25p to 835p.