Last week saw the UK's leading stock market index pass 6,000.

It is five years since the FTSE100 was in this range and this current surge has been helped along by strong corporate results, rising commodity prices and large cross-border take-overs, the most recent being the ferry operator P&O by Dubai Ports World.

Other UK firms that have gone abroad include O2 to Spain's Telefonica, the plasterboard maker BPB to France's St Gobain and Allied Domecq to Pernod Ricard. The chemicals firm BOC, the airports operator BAA and the London Stock Exchange are in takeover talks and this activity could see the market push towards the all-time high of 6930 reached in December 1999.

The Batley-based speciality finance company Cattles is the 199th-largest UK listed company. Although it is some way off being included in the FTSE100, it is in the FTSE250 which has been breaking new all-time highs recently. Cattles' full year figures prompted analysts at Altium Securities to upgrade their views. Following the better-than-expected numbers, the money lender received a similar boost from investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. The analysts at both firms re-rated the stock with a positive 'add' from their previous more neutral 'hold' stance. Cattles lends money to customers that might find it difficult to borrow from the usual outlets, like high street banks and building societies. This may be down to a bad credit history, lack of collateral or low income. The added risk of default to the lender may be reflected in higher interest rates.

On March 15, Atlantic Global reported a full year pre-tax loss of £631,000 compared to a profit of £188,000 at the same time last year. Despite turnover staying relatively stable this was the first drop into the red for the Cleckheaton firm. It was in 2001 that the company joined the junior Alternative Investment Market and chairman Steve Allen has stated the software company will concentrate on its course of internal growth rather than acquisitions.

Other local companies releasing news to the stock exchange include Pace Micro which has again warned revenues will not be as good as expected.

This is due to delays in the shipment of new products to the US.

William Morrison was on the receiving end of a broker upgrade from US investment bank Lehman Brothers when they upped their target to 200p from 170p.