Royal Mail joined the stock market’s list of elite companies on Monday after its post-privatisation value soared by 80%.
The delivery firm entered the FTSE 100 index with a market value of just under £6 billion, having initially been worth £3.3bn at its flotation in October.
The surge in its value led to accusations that it had been sold off on the cheap, although this was dismissed by Business Secretary Vince Cable.
The other newcomer in the FTSE 100 is the construction and industrial equipment rental firm Ashtead, with chemicals group Croda International and miner Vedanta Resources relegated from the shares premier league.
The reshuffle was based on the closing prices of companies on December 13.
