STOCK WATCH

MARKETING agency Ebiquity has been given the thumbs-up from the UK’s competition regulator to sell its advertising intelligence business to rival Nielsen.

The £26m deal hit a brick wall when the Competition and Markets Authority announced a probe but its concerns have been provisionally allayed. Ebiquity’s shares shot up 14.9pc, or 9p, to 69.5p.

Ebiquity wants to focus on its core consultancy business, and is aiming to reduce its debt pile.