A profit warning sees emerging-market lender Standard Chartered (STAN) shed 6.25% to £13.42. In a pre-close trading update, the £34.5 billion cap warns fines in the US, write-downs in Korea and currency problems in parts of Asia will keep income flat this year after a decade of continuous growth.
Heading in the opposite direction is accounting software supplier Sage (SGE), which jumps close on 9% to 378.2p despite full-year profits halving. A £188 million one-off cost on disposals masked a 7.8% underlying rise in pre-tax profits to £360.5 million.
Private client wealth manager Brewin Dolphin (BRW) ticks up 0.6% to 282p on the back of reassuring finals, where the strength of the firm’s discretionary business in particular came through with assets under management (AUM) up 17% in the period to £21.3 billion, with net inflows accounting for two thirds, or £1.1 billion of the £3.1 billion increase in AUM.
A read-across from yesterday’s (3 Dec) strong finals from Numis (NUM:AIM) may explain strength at Cenkos Securities (CNKS:AIM) and W.H. Ireland (WHI:AIM) up 8.5% and 3.5% respectively at 127p and 88.5p.
Reversing a rise early on, shares in Tesco (TSCO) cheapen 1.35p to 340.25p as the retail titan dishes out another poor set of figures. We look at the numbers in more detail here.
Unfavourable sports results have hurt shares in gambling providers over the past few weeks. That's prompted online gambling group GVC (GVC:AIM) to issue a trading updateand reassure investors that its financial performance hasn't been badly hurt. In fact it says full-year results are likely to be at the upper end of analyst forecasts which helps to send its share price up 3.3% to 364p. The small cap is a running Shares Play of the Week and was featured in our recent cover story on 'Growth at a reasonable price' stocks.
Regeneration specialist St Modwen (SMP) rises 4% to 366.4p on news annual pre-tax profits will beat expectations. Improving valuations and the completion of several deals, including selling the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre for £80 million, account for the strong performance.
Drug delivery specialist Consort Medical (CSRT) clips ahead 1.4% to 891.2p as its pre-tax profits rise 18% to £8.3 million in the half to November, underpinning a 5% interim dividend hike to 7.3p.
European non-life insurer Gable (GAH) gains 2.6% to 72.5p as it adds three new asset classes to its offering. It can now write cover for land vehicles, goods in transit and motor vehicle liability to meet demand from corporate brokers.
A poor outlook contributes to retail property investor Local Shopping REIT (LSR) falling 10.4% to 29p despite losses narrowing in the year ending 30 September. It lost £6 million before tax compared to £9.1 million a year ago, while net asset value per share fell to 41p from 50p a year earlier.
MDM Engineering (MDM:AIM) falls 8.5% to 145p as investors panic over a drop in pre-tax profit at the half-year stage. It is worth noting that the shares have already enjoyed a rally over the past few days thanks to contract wins, so today's drop wipes out these gains. We look at the numbers in more detail here.
Gift packaging-to-greetings card maker International Greetings (IGR:AIM) gives up 3.2% at 60.5p as half-year sales ease to £113.6 million (2012: £115.2 million). This reflects the phasing of deliveries to retailers into the second half, though taxable profits before exceptional costs are up 7.9% to £3.5 million.
Sports nutrition play Science in Sport (SIS:AIM) sheds 10.2% to 66p despite delivering encouraging half-year figures. The £14.2 million cap, whose consultants include cyclists Sir Chris Hoy and Mark Cavendish, generated 23% year-on-year sales growth to £4 million, though underlying operating profits of £21,156 (2012: £221,851) were pegged back by hefty sales and marketing spend.
Central Asian focused oil play Tethys Petroleum (TPL) sinks 9.9% to 34p as investors react to a mixed update from drilling in Kazakhstan. The firm announces the primary exploration target for its Dexa well does not appear to contain hydrocarbons but also indicates it is preparing to test the Doto well and has identified a new prospect, Klymene, from seismic surveys which could be larger than its existing Doris discovery.
North Sea oil and gas company Parkmead (PMG:AIM) ticks up 1.7% to 14.8p as it announces it has been awarded five new blocks offshore UK in the second tranche of awards under the 27th licensing round. This increases the group's total number of oil and gas blocks across the UK and the Netherlands to 53, 39 of which it operates.
Striking a manufacturing agreement for its patented micro combined heat and power (mCHP) boilers sparks a 6% rally in Flow Group's (FLOW:AIM) shares to 17.62p. That's impressive considering the £17.9 million fund raising alongside the announcement, aimed at catapulting the company into the mainstream UK energy supply market, a move Shares explained in May when the company was still called Energetix.
IT project management microcap Progility (PGY:AIM) soars 28% to 10.75p after signing a high-speed communications network for fleet services operator Roy Hill. The project is worth about $4 million to Progility, with most to be invoiced this year.
