- guardian.co.uk, Monday March 6 2000 02.08 GMT
Observer
The London stock market will lurch further into the new economy on Wednesday when a clutch of brewing, cigarette and building companies are ejected from the FTSE 100 index in faviour of telephone, internet and computer companies.
British Airways moved this weekend to quash rumours that professional head-hunters have been briefed to find a replacement for chief executive Bob Ayling. As influential institutional shareholders expressed support for such a plan because of the company's disastrous financial performance, airline executives denied that Mr Ayling plans to leave in the summer.
Sunday Times
The American internet search engine Alta Vista will announce today that it plans to be the first company in Britain to provide free telephone access to the internet after one upfront charge.
British Airways, in the ultimate spin-off, is considering floating its London Eye ferris wheel on the stock market in a move that could value it at £250m.
Sunday Business
Luke Johnson, head of the Belgo restaurant chain, made up to £150,000 because of a share ramp by the Mirror's City Slickers after the two journalists involved had invested themselves. Mr Johnson denies any contact with the Mirror team.
GEI International's price jumped from 12p to 21p on the tip by Anmil Bhoyrul and James Hipwell last December. Mr Johnson then sold his 4% stake on which he had been showing a loss.
John Hardy will come under intense pressure this week to resign as chief executive of Link, the inter-bank cash dispenser network, made up of 34 member banks and building societies.
Sunday Telegraph
Noddy, the children's character who celebrated his 50th birthday last year, is set to enter cyberspace. Chorion, the leisure group which owns the rights to Enid Blyton, his creator, is poised to invest £12m to build a digital version of Noddy and Toyland.
Powergen is preparing to sell its entire international business outside America and a big British power station in a move to raise £1.5bn towards paying for the $5.4bn purchase of LG&E, the Kentucky-based power group.
Mail on Sunday
BBC Worldwide is to launch a commercial network of internet sites this spring in a move that could transform it into Britain's leading player in the cyber economy.
The initiative will lead to the creation of a series of internet service providers and access sites - or portals - with a potential market value of billions of pounds.
The trade secretary, Stephen Byers, looks set to make an embarrassing climbdown from his much-trumpeted campaign to end "rip-off Britain" and give consumers a fairer deal.
IoS
Phillips & Drew, the fund manager, is facing legal action from clients furious at the way it dumped its stake in Huntingdon Life Sciences for a tenth of their value following complaints by "animal rights" activists.
Land owned by British Waterways is set to be developed under a partial privatisation plan being drawn up by the government. The canal company could end up jointly owning commercial property worth more than £1bn.
Reports out this week
Today
Interims Close Brothers Group, Gearhouse, Groupe Chez Gerard, Interior Services Group, Morse Holdings. Finals Aggregate Industries, Bemrose Corporation, Cookson Group, Enviromed, Eurotunnel, FBD Holdings, Hammerson, Hays, Pearson, Persimmon, SGB Group, Try Group, Waste Recycling Group, Wilson Connolly Holdings. AGMs None scheduled. EGMs CFS Group, E-Prime Financial, Hanson.
Tuesday
Interims Magic Moments Internet (7 months), Northern Recruitment Group, Redrow Group, Thorntons. Finals Aegis, Axon Corp, BGR, Caradon, Expamet International, Independent Insurance, Lambert Howarth, Parity Group, Simon Group, Waterford Wedgwood, Williams, WSP Group, Xenova Group . AGMs None scheduled. EGMs None scheduled.
Wednesday
Interims Canary Wharf, Gameplay.com. Finals Arriva, Ash & Lacey, BICC, Biotrace International, Cairn Energy, Coats Viyella, Cordiant, Country Gardens, GKN, Glanbia, Holmes Place, Laird Group, Metal Bulletin, SIG, Thomson Corporation AGMs Talisman House. EGMs None scheduled.
Thursday
Interims Chorion. Finals Admiral, Amec, Cattles, Countrywide Assured, Esporta, Grafton Group, Highcroft Investment Trust, Keller Group, Meggitt, John Mowlem, Queens Moat Houses, Rexam, Saatchi & Saatchi, Travis Perkins, Ulster TV, Wyevale Garden Centre. AGMs None scheduled. EGMs Creightons, Voyager IT.Com.
Friday
Interims Merivale Moore, Mice Group, Singer & Friedlander Group. Finals Vitec Group. AGMs Lonmin. EGMs NatWest Bank, Sterling Publishing .
Indicators this week
Today
UK M0 final (February). UK CBI service sector survey. UK IDS pay settlement analysis.
Tuesday
UK BRC retail sales survey. (February). US Consumer credit (January). US Labour productivity (Q4 revised).
Wednesday
UK Industrial/manufacturing output (January). UK Bank of England's Monetary policy committee meeting. US Fed Beige book economic survey. JPN Bank lending (February). JPN Bank of Japan's Policy board meeting.
Thursday
UK Bank of England's Monetary policy committee rate decision.
Friday
UK No data scheduled.
