Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) rises 5.1% to 410.1p despite two negative bits of news. It will have to payan additional £39.4 million for its purchase of Scottish Widows' fund management arm, costing £550 million in total. A trading update also shows a £3.6 billion net outflow of equity funds in the first two months of 2014. The market appears to be applauding plans to cut costs.
Glasgow engineering firm Weir (WEIR) falls 1.4% to £25.00 after proposingan all-share merger with Finnish rival Metso (MEO1V:HSX). We look at the news in more detail here.
Diversified miner BHP Billiton (BLT) rises 2.6% to £18.92 amid press speculationit will spin out non-core assets into a new business. Read our news analysis on the FTSE 100 constituent.
Jupiter Fund Management (JUP) advances 3.6% to 415.4p after sellingits private client operations to Rathbone Brothers (RAT) for £43 million.
Although it may seem an April Fools' Day joke, troubled miner Talvivaara (TALV) is one of the market's biggest risers after a industry shareholder offered financial assistance. Zinc giant Nyrstar has put forward a loan for up to €20 million, sending Talivaara's share price up 38.2% to 5.1p. Also in the zinc space, metals recycling group ZincOx (ZOX:AIM) taps shareholders for cash once again, sending its stock down 25.8% to 11.88p. A £1 million placinghas been done at a whopping 37.5% discount to yesterday's mid-market share price, implying poor appetite from the investor community for stock.
Shares in geophysical data specialist Getech (GTC:AIM) slip 11.1% to 58.25p as the full quantum of February's (17 Feb) profit warning becomes apparent. The Leeds group reportsa profit of £233,000 for the six months to 31 January, down 83% year-on-year. On a more upbeat note management comments: 'Not only do clients remain interested in our major products, but they now have budget available to spend.'
A supply chain partnershipagreement sends shares in epi-wafer maker IQE (IQE:AIM) up 5.4% to 24.5p. The deal has been struck with M/A-COM Technology Solutions, a supplier of high- performance radio frequency and microwave products.
Machine-to-machine technology provider Telit Communications (TCM:AIM) has finally sealed its ATOP automotive telematics acquisitionfrom NXP. The deal was first struck in December but paperwork has dragged on, but shares add 3% to 237p, just shy of their 241.75p record. Telit is a former Play of the Week at 110p from October 2013.
Laboratory services provider Source BioScience (SBS) improves 3% to 12.7p on launchinga US business in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Its life sciences customers in the US can now access its 20 million-strong clone library.
Cancer therapy developer ValiRx (VAL:AIM) dives 4.4% to 0.3p on having to carrying out an additionalstability and sterility study of its VAL201 drug, delaying the phase two efficacy study.
Specialty graphene producer Applied Graphene Materials (AGM:AIM) slips 4.5% to 456p after the £80.6 million cap revealedthat pre-tax losses in the six months to 31 January have widened to £1.22 million from £398,997 in the same period a year earlier.
Home shopping-to-education supplies firm and running Shares Play of the Week Findel (FDL) cheapens 2.25p to 317.75p despite postinga reassuring pre-close trading update. Pre-tax profits for the year ended 28 March will be in line with the £22 million to £22.5 million forecast range, though a disappointing end to the year at network marketing arm Kleeneze offsets progress in Findel's three main divisions and thwarts earnings upgrades from the analyst community.
Electrical retailer Darty (DRTY) edges ahead 0.13p to 117.63p after completingthe acquisition of French white goods seller Mistergooddeal.com for €2 million.
