London close: Higher finish after late recovery

25th May 2011 16:43

A late fightback sent the top share index into the blue ahead of trading's after an uncertain day's trading.There was little in the way of company news to move FTSE 100 stocks. Fashion retailer Next and B&Q owner Kingfisher are among the worst performers. Following suit is new kid on the block Glencore, which is under the weather on its debut on the top-share index.In the FTSE 250, Cable & Wireless Communications took a tumble after the results from its first year of independence. Earnings remained virtually static at the telecoms group, largely as a result of a more difficult Caribbean market than expected.Sports Direct fell after fellow sports shop JJB Sports extended its losses in 2010 and said turning the company around would take up to five years. The firm made a pre-tax loss of £181.4m on revenues of £362.9m in the 52 weeks to the end of January 2011.Valerie Gooding, the former chief executive of health insurance firm BUPA, is to be the new chairman of Premier Farnell, the electronic and industrial components distributor. Share are off the mark this morning.Stockbroker and investment manager Brewin Dolphin was wanted after profits came in roughly in line with expectations at the interim stage.Specialist healthcare company BTG is lower after it swung to a pre-tax loss during the year ended 31 March, despite revenue rising by 13.1%, as the group reported a 44% rise in operating expenses.Engineering software firm Aveva has taken a hit despite registering record revenues in the year ended 31 March, helped by a strong performance in the emerging markets, mainly driven by growth in the oil and gas sector.Elsewhere, corporate travel services firm Hogg Robinson is a high riser after revealing a 36% increase in annual pre-tax profit, a 25% hike in the dividend, and saying that trading this year has been strong than previous years.Online dating company Cupid has won over investors reporting trading ahead of expectations since early March. The company, whose websites include flirt.com and benaughty.com, has enjoyed strong growth outside the UK, with more than half of revenues now coming from overseas. North America is performing "exceptionally well" while the UK remains strong. The shares are up by a quarter.Property developer Quintain Estates also climbed even after it plunged into the red in 2010, following valuation write-downs in the first half of the year. The firm made a loss before tax of £48.1m in the twelve months ending 31 March 2011 on a gross profit of £26.2m. FTSE 100 - RisersITV (ITV) 69.80p +2.50%Admiral Group (ADM) 1,688.00p +2.43%Barclays (BARC) 271.80p +2.33%Essar Energy (ESSR) 427.10p +2.30%Weir Group (WEIR) 1,884.00p +2.22%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 41.29p +2.10%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 50.74p +2.01%Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 392.60p +1.82%Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,595.00p +1.82%Aggreko (AGK) 1,800.00p +1.75%FTSE 100 - FallersNext (NXT) 2,195.00p -2.36%Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,320.00p -1.64%British American Tobacco (BATS) 2,681.00p -1.38%International Power (IPR) 316.00p -1.31%National Grid (NG.) 617.00p -1.20%Amec (AMEC) 1,148.00p -1.20%Resolution Ltd. (RSL) 306.00p -1.10%SABMiller (SAB) 2,187.00p -1.06%Tullow Oil (TLW) 1,292.00p -1.00%Autonomy Corporation (AU.) 1,777.00p -0.89%FTSE 250 - RisersKenmare Resources (KMR) 45.74p +7.72%Pace (PIC) 109.60p +6.61%Soco International (SIA) 382.70p +4.25%Fidessa Group (FDSA) 1,910.00p +3.69%Stobart Group Ltd. (STOB) 132.00p +3.12%PZ Cussons (PZC) 342.60p +2.54%London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 930.00p +2.42%Petropavlovsk (POG) 737.50p +2.36%Heritage Oil (HOIL) 238.00p +2.28%Enterprise Inns (ETI) 78.75p +2.27%FTSE 250 - FallersCable & Wireless Communications (CWC) 42.41p -11.65%Sports Direct International (SPD) 215.00p -5.49%Dixons Retail (DXNS) 18.64p -4.36%Premier Farnell (PFL) 288.10p -4.09%Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 648.50p -3.21%JPMorgan Indian Inv Trust (JII) 397.00p -3.17%QinetiQ Group (QQ.) 112.00p -2.95%Ashtead Group (AHT) 172.00p -2.93%SVG Capital (SVI) 253.00p -2.88%F&C Asset Management (FCAM) 78.00p -2.74%