BP shares have topped the tables at TD Waterhouse with the banking groups trailing behind in the lead up to the Budget.

Trading in BP accounted for over half of buy trades as TD Waterhouse customers snapped up the stock as prices fell to 13-year lows.

Sells held steady in the week after the company said it reached agreement to create a $20 billion fund to pay for the clean up and compensation operation following the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Lloyds shares, RBS and Barclays fell behind the oil companies ahead of Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement on Tuesday that a banking levy will be enforced as part of their Emergency Budget measures.

Angus Rigby, Chief Executive Officer, TD Waterhouse comments:”The Budget failed to damp trading in bank stocks this week, with Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays accounting for almost half of sell trades.

British Gas owner Centrica also moved into the top ten buys as the company’s shares spiked on Friday amid speculation it could be takeover target for Russian gas giant Gazprom, while Tesco was another popular buy as market researcher Nielsen released a report showing that supermarket TV sales jumped in the lead up to the World Cup.

© Fair Investment Company Ltd