In a day monopolised by Royal Mail (RMG) events, the FTSE gains close to 50 points at 6,479.9. Royal Mail's IPO gets off to an impressive start with shares trading at 439.25p versus last night's IPO pricing of 330p. We look at the situation in more detail here.
Defence firm Chemring (CHG) slips 21.2% to 224p on a significant profit warning as we discuss here.
Mineral sands producer Kenmare Resources (KMR) falls 9.8% to 26.24p after a cash call. It has raised £66 million at 26.5p to rebuild finances weakened by lower selling prices, shipments and production.
Gem Diamonds (GEMD) nudges ahead 1.7% to 153.5p after getting a record price for a recent blue diamond discovery. Its rare 12.47 carat stone went for $7.5 million, alongside an 82 carat white diamond which fetched $4.8 million.
Power switching components supplier XP Power (XPP:AIM) jumps over 8% to £15.25 on hints that capital kit spending is strengthening. Order intake in the third quarter beat revenues underlining the theme, flagged by Shares last week. Strong cash generation helps slash net debt from £10.6 million to £6 million.
Chinese software microcap Geong (GNG:AIM) soars again, up 23% to 9.38p, as investors continue to pile in after last month's upbeat AGM update on cash collection. The stock has doubled in the subsequently two weeks, taking the market value from £1.75 million to £3.5 million.
Energy minnow Europa Oil & Gas (EOG:AIM) gains 4.5% to 8.75p as it swings into profitability for the 12 months to 31 July. The group posts a pre-tax profit of £400,000 compared with a pre-tax loss of £12.1 million for the previous year and points to progress with its exploration efforts in France and Ireland.
