London close: Stocks edge higher

5th Jul 2011 16:34

The top share index managed to inch further beyond the 6,000 point mark it has crossed so many times this year, though it was a sluggish day's trading. In company news, Tullow Oil gushed ahead after it enjoyed record revenues in the first half of the year while achieving a 79% exploration and appraisal success rate. Total revenue for the first half of 2011 is expected to be a record for the company at around $1.05bn, compared with $486m for the same period in 2010. Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of brands as diverse as Cillit Bang, Durex and Nurofen headache tablets, was pushed higher on persistent rumours it's being lined up for a takeover.N Brown, the FTSE-250 online and catalogue retail firm is wanted after total group revenue increased 5.1% in the 18 weeks to 2 July this year. On a like-for-like basis (adjusting for its new lingerie outfit Figleaves) revenue growth was 1.6%. However, N Brown was soon put in the shade by more famous clothing retailers such as Superdry owner SuperGroup and JD Sports Fashion.Sticking with fashion, struggling surfwear label Hot Tuna said just ahead of the close that trading has been challenging but cost controls mean the pre-tax loss will be in line with expectations.In other sectors, trading is in line with expectations at the waste management group Shanks, but the chief executive Tom Drury is leaving to spend more time with his family and the shares.House builder Persimmon said market conditions in the first half of the year have been stable. The group completed 4,439 homes, down from 4,657 in the first half of last year, with sales improving from the lower sales order book at the start of the year.Among smaller companies, Croma was looking less like a penny stock after the security services provider said its subsidiary Photobase has won a £450,000 contract, its biggest to date, to develop security software for electronic security group CSS.Northern Bear burned bright after the building services group said its renewable energy subsidiary had won a contract to install solar panels. Bed and sofa maker Airsprung was sharply lower after saying it expects to see a continuing decline in profitability this year as demand for its beds deteriorates.FTSE 100 - RisersTullow Oil (TLW) 1,301.00p +3.83%IMI (IMI) 1,119.00p +3.80%Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 3,578.00p +2.58%Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 376.00p +2.51%Resolution Ltd. (RSL) 298.20p +1.91%Capita Group (CPI) 722.50p +1.90%BT Group (BT.A) 204.10p +1.80%Man Group (EMG) 247.30p +1.77%3i Group (III) 292.10p +1.56%Next (NXT) 2,339.00p +1.56%FTSE 100 - FallersIntertek Group (ITRK) 1,910.00p -2.70%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 48.78p -2.20%ARM Holdings (ARM) 601.50p -1.31%Rio Tinto (RIO) 4,478.00p -1.29%Barclays (BARC) 259.50p -1.22%ICAP (IAP) 493.40p -1.08%Carnival (CCL) 2,440.00p -1.01%Lonmin (LMI) 1,437.00p -0.96%Vedanta Resources (VED) 2,069.00p -0.91%Kazakhmys (KAZ) 1,384.00p -0.79%FTSE 250 - RisersSupergroup (SGP) 914.50p +7.84%JD Sports Fashion (JD.) 980.00p +6.52%Telecom Plus (TEP) 691.00p +5.02%Yule Catto & Co (YULC) 241.10p +4.83%Sports Direct International (SPD) 242.50p +3.94%Mothercare (MTC) 420.10p +3.88%RPC Group (RPC) 384.80p +3.66%Kofax (KFX) 480.00p +3.45%Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC) 203.70p +3.30%Dignity (DTY) 799.50p +3.23%FTSE 250 - FallersInternational Personal Finance (IPF) 368.00p -3.46%Betfair Group (BET) 727.00p -2.42%RPS Group (RPS) 247.20p -2.29%Domino Printing Sciences (DNO) 686.00p -2.21%Petropavlovsk (POG) 732.00p -2.20%Aquarius Platinum Ltd. (AQP) 310.80p -1.96%Talvivaara Mining Company (TALV) 446.90p -1.91%ITE Group (ITE) 212.10p -1.85%Enterprise Inns (ETI) 66.25p -1.78%Fidessa Group (FDSA) 2,024.00p -1.70%