Emerging markets-focused bank Standard Chartered (STAN) falls 1.3% to £15.13 on news third quarter revenues were hit by depreciation in a number of currencies including the Indian rupee and Indonesian rupiah. The £37 billion cap, a running Shares Play of the Week, reckons this emerging market currency turmoil could knock around $70 million off its full-year profits.
Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) gives up 2% at 78.12p after saying it will set aside another £750 million for compensation for mis-sold personal protection insurance (PPI) and reporting a £440 million third quarter loss. Read our news analysis here.
Investors give a big thumbs up to better-than-expected third quarter results from oil major BP (BP.). Accompanied by a near-6% hike in the payout and a new $10 billion asset disposal programme, the shares advance 5% to 474.9p. Read our news analysis here.
Office space supplier Regus (RGU) falls 5.2% to 194p as it warns investment in developing its business centres estate will hit full-year profits. There was good news however in today's trading update however, with Regus reporting 25.5% third quarter year-on-year sales growth to £386.6 million.
Weak audio chip demand sees Wolfson Microelectronics (WLF) deliver a previously-flagged weak third quarter. The shares drift 2p lower to 144.5p on talk that soggy markets could extend past this year and well into 2014, sparking management to cut old product lines implying a $4 million one-off hit.
A.G. Barr (BAG), the IRN-BRU-to-Rubicon soft drinks maker, fizzes up 4.2% to 523p as a bullish note from Canaccord Genuity's Wayne Brown circulates. With a 630p price target, the analyst believes a recent share price retreat offers investors 'a good buying opportunity'.
A slow second quarter puts the pressure on mobile gaming developer Probability (PBTY:AIM) to hit full-year numbers. Net gaming revenues fall 14% to £1.9 million as its direct-to-consumer arm struggles. The white-label side is doing better but the shares tumble more than 5% to 45p.
US onshore oil and gas play Nostra Terra Oil & Gas (NTOG:AIM) gets a 4.2% bump to 0.4p as it posts a bullish third quarter update. The company says it expects full-year production to show a 150% increase on 2012's total and adds that it remains cashflow positive on an operational basis, with excess cash reinvested into the drilling of new wells. On Friday (25 Oct) the group refuted speculation it was considering an equity placing.
Chinese coal bed methane firm Green Dragon Gas (GDG:AIM) gains 5.3% to 261.1p on a non-binding heads of agreement with a unit of China's state-owned oil giant China National Offshore Oil Corporation. This relates to a potential deal over drilling carried out by the latter on acreage Green Dragon had production sharing licenses for (a heads of agreement is a deal done before a confirmed, detailed agreement is made). We looked at the third party drilling story in detail here.
Chinese unconventional gas play Leyshon Resources (LRL:AIM) slips 11.1% to 7p as it outlines plans to spend $17 million on the 2013/14 exploration and appraisal programme for the Zijinshan gas project. The group has $38 million of cash in the bank which equates to around 9p a share. It has announced plans to demerge its energy assets into a new concern: Leyshon Energy.
Oil and gas seismology software tiddler Vialogy (VIY:AIM) sees more than a fifth wiped off the shares, down 21% to 0.58p, on restructuring that appears to hand its technology to directors.
Vending machine operator Snacktime (SNAK:AIM) skips 4.2% higher to 18.5p on a positive first half trading update. The £3.1 million cap says earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the six months to 30 September will be 'up by at least 50%' on the £332,000 generated a year ago, on sales of around £9.4 million (2012: £10.2 million).
