Market 報告（する）／憶測: Wednesday の近くに

By This Is Money
Updated: 17:20 BST, 16 March 2005

?

CREST Nicholson led a buoyant housebuilding 部門 after 所有物／資産／財産 group Heron said it may be lining up a cash 申し込む／申し出 for the 会社／堅い. To nail 負かす／撃墜する a price - which Heron believes will be between 345p and 430p, or かもしれない more - it will need to look through the 調書をとる／予約するs. Crest, up 37?p at 4 34p, has not yet opened its accounts and 敏速に 問題／発行するd a 声明 advising 株主s to take no 活動／戦闘, 解任するing Heron's oral approach as too vague and too low to be taken 本気で.

Nonetheless, the 可能性 of a Heron 企て，努力，提案 raised the prospect of broader 部門 consolidation. Other companies tipped as 中央の-sized 的s 含む Bellway, up 31p at 894p, and Bovis Homes, 11p higher at 698p.

The FTSE 100 索引 弱めるd 62.6 to 4937.6, with 塀で囲む Street 開始 lower this afternoon as General モーターs 問題／発行するd a 利益（をあげる） 警告. 一方／合間, although Gordon Brown's ninth 年次の 予算 kept many 投資家s sidelined, it failed to trouble the Footsie much. The blue-半導体素子 索引 dropped a mere four points during his speech.

Several blue-半導体素子s went ex-（株主への）配当, 追加するing to the downside 圧力. They 含む HSBC, 負かす／撃墜する 24p at 832p, HBOS, losing 33p to 821?p, Lloyds TSB, off 33?p at 474frac14;p, and cigarette 製造業者 Gallaher, 負かす／撃墜する 29p at 752?p.

The General モーターs 利益（をあげる）-警告 攻撃する，衝突する exposed GKN, 負かす／撃墜する 4p at 258?p, and Tomkins, off 7p at 271p.

着せる／賦与するing retailer Peacock 急に上がるd 41p to 289p after 確認するing it has received an indicative approach that may lead to an 申し込む／申し出 for the company.

Oil continued to play a central 役割 as Opec 長，指導者s discussed new 生産／産物 割当s. The cartel agreed a 計画（する） to 上げる oil flows to world markets after 圧力 from the 影響力のある Saudi Arabian 次第で変わる／派遣部隊, which has called for prices to 緩和する to between $40 and $50 a バーレル／樽.

JKX Oil & Gas, 3p better at 151?p, hopes to cash in on the Orange 革命 in ウクライナ共和国, where all its 生産／産物 is 位置を示すd, with the new 政府's プロの／賛成の-Western 姿勢 推定する／予想するd to create more 投資 適切な時期s. As operating 利益（をあげる） 殺到するd 92% to $23.6m (£12.3m), the group is also stepping up its search for onshore 事業／計画（する）s in Russia .

Blue 星／主役にする 資本／首都, 始める，決める up to 供給する seed 資本／首都 for 早期に-行う／開催する／段階 companies, has spent £300,000 on a 34.01% 火刑／賭ける in Gasol, which 開始する，打ち上げるd on AIM today. Gasol is '捜し出すing 取得／買収s and 投資 適切な時期s' in oil and gas. Blue 星／主役にする 追加するd ?p to 17?p while Gasol 株, placed at 5p, raced to 9.75p, off a high of 14p.

Woolworths, up 2?p at 50?p, could be 支援する in the スポットライト after 報告（する）／憶測s that the High Street retailer has started 合併 会談 with 私的な 公正，普通株主権 group Apax Partners, whose 前進するs it rebuffed last month. The 引き継ぎ／買収 パネル盤 has 支配するd that Apax has until Monday to 宣言する its 手渡す.

The 採掘 部門 was mostly higher. JP Morgan downgraded Xstrata to 中立の from overweight, seeing little upside after a good 株-price 業績／成果 over the last 15 months, but the 株 managed a 4p rise to 1033?p.

The 仲買人's preferred 部門 選ぶs also 伸び（る）d ground, with BHP Billiton up 1?p at 731?p, Rio Tinto 8p higher at 1793p and Vedanta up 10p at 482?p.

However, Chilean 鉱夫 Antofagasta was 13p 女性 at 1306p after a downgrade by Numis 安全s.