Unilever gains and banks fall on the FTSE 100

By MoneyhighStreet Staff. Published on September 4, 2008 This post currently has no comments.

Glasses on newspaper
Shares in food and home care manufacturer Unilever led gains at the close of the FTSE 100 Thursday.

The company posted gains of 6.17 per cent, leading the day''s top risers following the appointment of a new chief executive, Patrick Cescau from rival Nestle SA.

Other gains were seen in the share price of Friends Provident, which gained 1.62 per cent to close at 100.80 pence per share.

Clive Cowdery told the Financial Times earlier today that he was considering a break-up bid for the insurance group, which led to the rise.

Chocolate manufacturer Cadbury also gained five points over the course of the day to close at 622 pence per share, further underlining a good day for food manufacturers after Unilever''s gains.

Banks had a poor day, with HBOS, Lloyds and Barclays making up the list of top fallers at the close, losing between 5.68 and 6.84 per cent of their value.