Stockwatch

The week's winners
Royal & SunAlliance up 20.5%
Zurich Financial Services up 14%
Goshawk up 11%

The week's losers
Bradstock down 10.5%
Culver down 3.6%

A sluggish FTSE can't stop insurers planning flotations and hasn't stood in the way of several strong risers this week breaking from the ranks of the equally sluggish insurance sector

R&SA is top of our winners list, thanks to a spike at the end of the week's trading.

Unfortunately for the troubled insurer, much of the gain was put down to hedge fund buyers hoping for a quick profit. The stock fell back on Monday although it managed to hang on to some of its gains.

Sherwood International was bidding to be on the winners' table with a 17.8% spurt last Friday.

Marketing chief Martyn Lambert put last week's increases down to investors waking up to the support services group's potential, following the extension of a major government contract worth £28m.

Allianz was tipped as a buy by Commerzbank which produced a table (see chart) describing the German insurer as the most undervalued insurance share out of a basket of six. Also, it says Allianz is on track to hit a combined ratio of 100% for 2004.

Hiscox raised its estimate forecasts for Syndicate 33's 2000 year of account to a profit of 7.5% to 12.5% of capacity from a previous level of 5% to 10%.