The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers among London Main Market small-caps on Friday.
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SMALL-CAP - WINNERS
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MJ Gleeson PLC, up 3.2% at 387 pence, 12-month range 331p-530p. The housebuilder and land investor’s shares see a reprieve from recent declines. However, the stock is still down 7.6% this week, and down 16% over the past six months. The sector has faced headwinds including elevated mortgage rates and declining consumer confidence in the UK.
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SMALL-CAP - LOSERS
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DFS Furniture PLC, down 4.0% at 114.29p, 12-month range 101p-170p. The furniture retailer suffers from gloomy UK retail sales data for a rain-soaked July. Early Friday, the Office for National Statistics said retail sales fell 3.2% in July from a year before, compared to a downwardly revised 1.6% fall in June. The market had been expecting a 2.1% annual fall for July, according to FXStreet-cited consensus. Sales fell by 1.2% in July from June, compared to a downwardly revised 0.6% rise in June from May. July’s reading was worse than the market consensus, which had forecast a 0.5% monthly decline. Online clothes retailer Asos PLC also falls 3.5%, given that clothing was one of the hardest hit sales categories due to the wet weather. Still, the wider online shopping space saw its largest share of overall sales since February 2022, with 27% of sales in the UK taking place online last month.
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