A decline in like-for-like sales at fashion retailer Supergroup (SGP) is nowhere near as bad as feared in the first quarter, helping the stock to lead the FTSE All-Share leaderboard with a 10% jump to £11.51. The update reveals another quarter of double-digit sales growth across retail and wholesale and flags ongoing internationalisation of the Superdry brand.
Insurer and wealth manager Standard life (SL.) jumps 10.4% to 426.3p on selling its Canadian business for £2.2 billion. The company, a running Shares Play of the Week, is set to return 73p a share to investors when the deal completes early next year.
Offline UK nuclear power plants run by French power group EDF Energy (EDF:PA) will squeeze the UK's British Gas-owner Centrica (CNA) even more than first thought. The impact on Centrica earnings is now estimated to be at least twice the amount originally estimated, potentially slicing up to 0.9p or more off earnings per share (EPS). The stock slides 1.9p to 323.3p.
The $1.35 billion (£820 million) sale by engineering group Balfour Beatty (BBY) of its Parsons Brinckerhoff business is shrugged-off by investors. The market is unimpressed by the deal given recent takeover talks with rival Carillion (CLLN), explaining why the shares stay basically flat at 242.2p.
Investors fail to get excited by Easyjet's (EZJ) 8.4% year-on-year increase in passengers carried in August to 6.6 million. The shares nudge 15p higher to £13.79. Passenger statistics from Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus (AERL) meanwhile sees shares shed 1.4% after an even more modest 5.6% increase in passengers carried to 1.06 million.
Snack vending operator SnackTime (SNAK:AIM) collapes 31.5% to 9.25p as it warns on profits. The £1.5 million microcap says that earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the year to March 2014 has fallen well short of expectations and flags disappointing trading over the opening five months of the current year too.
Latin American oil explorer President Energy (PPC:AIM) skips up 5.3% to 20p as it announces the early drilling on the second of a three well campaign in Paraguay (Lapacho). The company also reveals encouraging results from its first Jacaranda well. President estimates Lapacho could contain gross mean unrisked prospective resources of one trillion cubic feet of gas and 30 million barrels of condensate and although Jacaranda did not yield a commercial discovery (13 Aug) the company says there is remaining resource potential which it plans to test in the future.
East Africa-based oil and gas explorer Aminex (AEX:AIM) jumps 6.9% to 0.935p as it raises the estimate of resources associated with its Ntoyra discovery in Tanzania by nearly 60%. Based on seismic data management estimates have increased from 1.2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) to 1.9 tcf of gas in place.
Black box maker Trakm8 (TRASK:AIM) jumps 5.4% to 78p as it issues an upbeat first quarter trading statement showing ongoing strong organic growth. Like-for-like orders are up 33% while the company reveals 75,000 units are live. 'Revenue and profit will be considerably better tear-on-year,' says finnCap's Lorne Daniel, implying £1.7 million pre-tax profit on £8 million of sales, both roughly double the end March 2014 figures.
Spread better London Capital Group (LCG:AIM) is up 9% at 27p as it gets official clearance to appoint new executive chairman Charles-Henri Sabet. Sabet is a former head of global trading at spreadbetting outfit Saxo.
Shares in Redde (REDD:AIM), formerly known as Helphire, are up around 7% at 66p after a full-year results please investors. Operating profit jumps 45%, after stripping out exceptional items.
A record squid catch in the South Atlantic helped shares in Falkland Islands Holdings (FKL:AIM) 4% higher. Chairman David Hudd says the performance for the first five months to end-August 'shows a substantial improvement over the quiet start seen last year.' Improving economic activity and increased demand for its support services businesses are key reasons.
International recruitment specialist Empresaria (EMR:AIM) feels the heat of the strong pound, with currency movements slicing slicing 2% off half-year revenues. Sales were up 4% if the currency factor is stripped out. The shares trade down nearly 5% at 48p.
Rare books-to-fine art retailer Scholium (SCHO:AIM) edges 1p higher to 81p on an annual meeting update which makes for pleasing reading. Having invested float proceeds to build high quality stock levels, Scholium sees a strong second half ahead and says its Shapero Rare Books business should complete 'a number of material deals' this month.
Drug delivery specialist Consort Medical (CSRT) improves 2.1% to 934.2p on a positive outlook for the year to May.
Investors shrug-off sales news from bronchial drug developer Vectura (VEC), the shares barely 1% up at 136.75p. That's despite news that US drug giant Pfizer (PFE:NYSE) agrees to distribute two of its treatments, Ultibro Breezhaler and Seebri Breezhaler, across the UK. Vectura receives 5% royalties from the agreement.
A 29% hike in annual earnings from aircraft procurement and leasing company Avation (AVAP) saprks a 3.4% rise in the shares to 150.5p.
