Investors might take a cool attitude to directors who sell shares in their company, but in the case of Readymix chief executive John McNerney, investors are likely to take a more relaxed attitude.

Mr McNerney has presided over a 95 per cent jump in the Readymix share price this year, albeit the result of the boom in the building industry, so he can probably be forgiven for taking a profit from his own shareholding in the company.

With the Budget cutting the capital gains tax rate to 20 per cent, Mr McNerney picked an opportune time to sell 50,000 shares at 225p each.