THE DAILY BRIEFING

MADE UP Shares in French cosmetics giant L’Oreal climbed 2.5pc following the death of 94-year-old billionaire Liliane Bettencourt, whose family owned 33pc of its stock. It has long been speculated that her death would be a catalyst for 23.2pc stakeholder Nestle to table a takeover bid.

SHARE SALE Ian Penrose, 51, chief executive of pool betting operator Sportech, has sold £286,000 of shares in the firm and transferred 200,000 shares to his wife, Vanessa.

STRONG FIGURES Demand for goods made in British factories is strong, according to the CBI. ‘Total order books and export order books are holding firm,’ said anna Leach, head of economic intelligence.

EASYJET DEAL Budget airline EasyJet has been picked as a potential buyer for air Berlin by its creditors, who said the company would be in discussions over the insolvent carrier for the next three weeks.

STARLING SEARCH Start-up London lender Starling Bank is seeking £40m from investors as it eyes opportunities in Europe.

WATCHDOG RAPPED Congressman Bill Huizenga slammed the US Securities and Exchange Commission watchdog for lax cyber security after raiders broke in last year, gaining information which it said may have been used for ‘illicit trading’.

MERGER TALK Struggling German lender Commerzbank has been approached about a merger by Italy’s biggest lender, Unicredit, which is currently cutting 14,000 jobs.

SITES SOLD Shares in troubled delivery firm DX Group fell 8.6pc yesterday after it sold sites across the UK for £4.5m to help pay back a loan to HSBC.

OIL SLIDE Shares in oil rig maker Lamprell plunged 11.3pc yesterday as a dramatic drop in sales caused bosses to scale back on their full-year predictions.