The boss of a leading UK cake company was cast out of his job today, just six months after taking on the top position.

Bid talk surrounding fund-management firms and a strong performance from Vodafone helped the FTSE 100 Index move further from the 6,000 barrier today.

The FTSE 100 Index continued its recent improvement after seeing world markets remain steady following North Korea’s claims to have held nuclear testing.

Cake maker Inter Link Foods today said members of its management team were working with a private equity firm on plans for a potential takeover.

A healthy start to the session on Wall Street helped to keep the London market in the black today.

Strong gains for the FTSE 100 Index were eroded late in the session today as investors talked down the chances of a takeover of Sainsbury’s.

Inter Link Foods today said it expected to make more than 65 million mince pies in time for Christmas after installing one of the largest pie-making plants in Europe.

Companies reporting results next week include:

UK bakery group Inter Link Foods is poised to reveal it has cooked up another year of rapid growth when it reports full-year results on Tuesday.

The London Stock Exchange remained focused on the high street during an otherwise sluggish session today.