Glencore boss strikes again, LSE boss sells

A round-up of the biggest director deals today so far.

Glencore International's Chief Executive Officer Ivan Glasenberg bought himself another chunk of shares in the mining titan, his third in the past week, it was announced on Tuesday.

Since earning a whopping $110m in the latest dividend payout at the start of this month, the director has paid out just over £29.9m, with this latest purchase totalling £9.8m.

Broker Jefferies commented that Glencore's planned merger with sector peer Xstrata has a high probability of being achieved on its original terms.

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Jefferies originally believed that Glencore would have to bump up its proposed merger ratio in order to win the approval of Xstrata shareholders. However, now the broker expects that the majority of shareholders who would oppose the merger will have sold their shares by the day of the vote, adding that Glencore's assets offer a lower risk than they previously did.

The broker has maintained its buy ratings on both stocks, despite saying that it expects each stock to underperform the sector in the short term before the crucial shareholder vote.

Xavier Rolet, the Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has ditched £0.9million-worth of shares which he earned through the firm's long-term incentive plan.

The deal was announced on the same day it was revealed the company is losing its chief financial officer, Doug Webb, as part of a wider management shake up.

Webb joined the firm in 2008, but will step down from the board on July 2nd, and leave the firm on July 31st. He'll be replaced by David Warren, a recruit from US stock exchange NASDAQ where he has been for 11 years, two of which were spent as a senior adviser.

Rolet said he believes Warren's international experience would be an asset to the group.

Others being moved around the management chess board include Antoine Shagoury, who becomes Chief Operating Officer, and David Lester who gets the Director of Strategic Development brief.

Top Director Buys

Glencore International (GLEN)

Director name: Mr Ivan Glasenberg

Amount purchased: 2,700,000 @ 364.81p

Value: £9,849,870

G4S (GFS)

Director name: Mr John Connolly

Amount purchased: 100,000 @ 278.60p

Value: £278,600

Ashmore Global Opportunities Ltd USD Shares (AGOU)

Director name: Mr Jonathan Agnew

Amount purchased: 15,000 @ $5.10

Value: $76,500

Severfield-Rowen (SFR)

Director name: Mr Tom Haughey

Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 147.15p

Value: £29,430

Weir Group (WEIR)

Director name: Mr Keith Ruddock

Amount purchased: 2,000 @ 1,420.80p

Value: £28,416

Chesnara (CSN)

Director name: Mr Ken Romney

Amount purchased: 9,000 @ 174.61p

Value: £15,715

Top Director Sells

London Stock Exchange Group (LSE)

Director name: Mr Xavier Rolet

Amount sold: 96,683 @ 975.00p

Value: £942,659

News Corp. 'A' Shares (NCRA)

Director name: Mr Lachlan Murdoch

Amount sold: 17,000 @ $19.55

Value: $332,350

Private Equity Investor (PEQ)

Director name: Mr Charles Julian Cazalet

Amount sold: 29,632 @ 241.66p

Value: £71,609

Ashmore Global Opportunities Ltd GBP Shares (AGOL)

Director name: Mr Jonathan Agnew

Amount sold: 10,000 @ 532.50p

Value: £53,250

Private Equity Investor (PEQ)

Director name: Mr Peter Dicks

Amount sold: 4,823 @ 241.66p

Value: £11,655