£7.50 shares cost a tenner to sell

People hoping to make a quick profit from free shares in internet community websiteThemutual.netfound that by the end of yesterday's first dealings it would actually cost them money to sell their stock.

Brussels to scupper £80bn deal

Speculation that the European commission will block the £80bn mega-merger between MCI Worldcom and Sprint reached fever pitch yesterday ahead of a meeting of competition law experts in Brussels today, which is expected to reject the deal.

Freeserve rises 24% on T-Online buy rumour

Deutsche Telekom and its majority-owned subsidiary, T-Online, yesterday proved that silence can be golden when their refusal to deny rumours that the latter is preparing a £6.5bn bid for Freeserve prompted a 24% surge in the internet service provider's share price.